Three Under Par
by Emeralds and Rubies
Summary: Nancy, Frank, and Joe meet again in northern California during an annual Celebrity Pro-Am golf tournament to investigate the threats young golf phenomenon Nick Ford has been receiving. Will they be able to help before it's too late? a little N/F
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hi everyone!!! It's been a while since I've written anything… Sorry! I've been having some health problems. Anyway, this idea came to me a couple days ago, and I just had to start writing it. (I've been having serious writers block with ****All Criminals Want to Get Caught, ****so that is why I've deleted it. If the block ever disappears, I will of course re-post.) So this is mostly an introductory chapter. I was going to make it longer, but I decided to cut it a little short. This is good news for you, because it means that chapter two is already halfway finished! Please review!!!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything**

"Great shot Nancy!" Bess Marvin exclaimed as her friend finished her stroke, pausing in her backswing and watching golf ball soar out of the tee box and onto the green of the par three hole.

Nancy chuckled at her friend's enthusiasm as she set her golf club into her golf bag. "Bess, you know I don't mind, but during the tournament, you are really going to have to learn how to clap politely rather than vocalizing your enthusiasm."

Nancy and Bess were in Northern California for an annual Celebrity Pro-Am Charity Golf Tournament in which Nancy had been invited to play. Currently, it was just Nancy and Bess on the course, squeezing in a practice round before the night's opening banquet.

Bess grinned and rolled her eyes as she pulled her long blonde hair into a high ponytail. "I know, Nan, I know," she laughed. "But, if you end up winning, don't expect me to keep my mouth shut."

Nancy laughed again as Bess, who had volunteered to act as her caddy for the tournament, shouldered her golf bag and they started off toward the green. "I don't think we have to worry about that… the possibilities of me and Katherine winning are pretty slim. I'm not exactly an Annika Sorenstam. I'm surprised I was even asked to play. The tournament was probably just desperate for another female 'celebrity' who could make it," Nancy said, using air quotes around the word celebrity.

Bess took a long sip from her hot pink water bottle. "You're good enough, Nan. You used to play with your dad all the time! And besides," she grinned, handing Nancy her putter. "You'd rather be a Paula Creamer. She wears cuter golf clothes than Annika."

Nancy rolled her eyes at her fashion-forward friend as she began lining up her putt. The putt was about fifteen feet long, and not very difficult. She lined up slightly to the right, measuring the break in the green. "I'll keep that in mind," she replied after sinking the putt with a satisfying plunk.

……….

"Please take your seats, buckle your seat belts, and move your seat backs and tray-tables into their full upright and locked position as we make our final descent. It is now time to turn off any electronic devices…"

Joe Hardy ran a hand through his blond hair and tuned out the rest of what the flight attendant had to say. He elbowed his brother Frank, who was sitting to his right, jolting him awake from the nap he had been taking. "Frank," Joe said. "It's time to wake up. We're landing. Move your seat back up."

Frank sighed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He did as his brother told him to and checked his watch. It was five-o-clock Bayport time, which meant it was only three in the afternoon in Northern California, where they were about to land. He was absolutely exhausted. He and Joe had been traveling all day, and he was definitely feeling the effects of jet-lag setting in. "This case better be worth the travel," he muttered darkly, leaning forward slightly so he could see out the small airplane window to the ground below.

Joe laughed at his brother's unusually bad mood. "Since when does a case have to be worth anything for us to--?" Joe stopped midsentence at his brother's glare. "Oh," he said, recognition dawning on his face. "Frank," Joe said seriously. "If--,"

"I don't want to talk about it," Frank said. "I know what you're going to say anyway."

"And what exactly was I going to say?" Joe asked, raising his eyebrows and giving his older brother a pointed look.

"That I can't blame myself. That being a detective is a part of who I am and I need to find someone who likes me because of that, not despite that. The same things Dad told me," He ran a hand through his hair as his brother had earlier.

Joe laughed. "Right in one," he said, patting his brother on the back. "But, I was also going to add that even though you dated Callie for years, it's time to move on."

Frank looked at his brother incredulously, "Joe it's been three days. Forgive me for not being able to forget about her instantly."

"I know, I know," Joe raised his hands in defense, "But think about all the bad parts of your relationship. The cons outweighed the pros, man."

"I know you're right… Whatever. What time is the banquet?" Frank asked, changing the subject back to the case.

"Seven," Joe answered, letting the subject of Frank's recent breakup drop. "Nick is sending a driver to pick us up at the airport and take us to our hotel by the course. We'll have a couple hours to chill before we have to leave for the banquet."

Frank sighed and nodded. He leaned back in his seat and reviewed what they knew about the case so far. They had been contacted a few days ago by a friend of their father's, whose son Nick Ford was a collegiate golfer and had recently been receiving threatening messages. Nick was the star golfer on the Stanford University golf team. This weekend he was playing in an annual Celebrity Pro-Am Charity Golf Tournament to benefit cancer research, and was afraid of what might happen if he didn't listen to the threats he had received and throw the tournament. Nick needed to play well in the tournament in order to keep his many sponsors and athletic scholarships, and had made it very clear that he wouldn't throw the tournament even if that wasn't the case. The only problem was, Nick had no clue who could be threatening him.

The plane touched down to the runway gently, or as gently as a plane could, and slowly made its way to the gate. Once the plane came to a complete stop, Frank stood and removed his and Joe's carry-on luggage from the overhead compartment. They made their way off the bustling plane and through the terminal to the baggage claim area. A man in a black suit stood by one of the baggage carousels holding a sign that read "Hardy" in bold dark letters. They talked to the driver and he helped them each quickly find their luggage, which included a suitcase and golf clubs for each. There was a black sedan waiting on the curb for them and they quickly made the fifteen minute drive to their hotel.

"Thank you, Sir." The driver said as Frank tipped him generously after their bags were removed from the trunk of the car.

" No problem," Frank replied before following his brother inside the doors of the large hotel. The elegant lobby was teeming with people, most assumedly in town for the tournament, as they were all dressed in golf attire. He strode over toward the marble check-in counter where Joe was currently leaning on his elbows, charming the attractive employee who was checking them in.

"The reservation should be under Ford," Frank said, setting down their bags.

The woman nodded and handed them two card keys. "Here you are," she smiled, her eyes never leaving Joe. "You're in room number Eight-Ninteen. Enjoy your stay."

"We will, Rachel," Joe replied smoothly after glancing at the woman's nametag, winking and causing the woman to blush prettily and grin.

Frank rolled his eyes. "Come on, Joe," He said, grabbing his bags and walking towards the glass elevator. "Joe, can you please restrain from flirting with any attractive girl you meet?" Frank asked, laughing at his brother.

Joe seemed to be distracted by something he saw through the glass elevator as they waited for the elevator doors to close. "What about an attractive girl I've already met?"

"What?" Frank asked, turning around to follow his brother's gaze. "What do you mean?" He asked his brother as the doors began to close.

"Hold the elevator!" A familiar woman's voice called out before Joe could answer his brother's question.

Frank pressed the 'Door Open' button and the nearly-closed elevator doors reversed their direction and began re-opening.

"Thanks," another woman said breathlessly. Frank looked up and his eyes widened when he saw Nancy Drew and Bess Marvin standing before him.

……….

**AN: Comments? Questions? Concerns? Please review!!!!!!!! I will hopefully be posting chapter two by the end of the week… sooner if I get lots of reviews!!!! Seriously, I live for those things. LOL, I hope you enjoyed!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hey everyone! Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews!!! I am really enjoying writing this…I'm always amazed at how under-used this "classic super-mystery" format is!!! So, I know the whole golf thing is a bit far-fetched for Nancy, but the way I look at it, her father must golf (he **_**is**_** a lawyer after all), so I would be very surprised if she didn't. And anyway… she's Nancy Drew! She can do anything, right? LOL, I hope you enjoy the chapter! Please review and let me know what you think!!! Reviews really make my day :)!**

Nancy and Bess made their way back to the hotel to get ready for the night's opening banquet.

"Hold the elevator!" Nancy called as she and Bess made their way through the bustling lobby.

"Thanks," Bess said gratefully as the nearly-closed elevator began re-opening.

"Nancy! Bess!"

Nancy looked up and froze when she saw the two men in the elevator before her. Her heart skipped a beat when her eyes locked with Frank Hardy's and she smiled. "Frank! Joe! What are you doing here?" She rushed up to Frank and gave him a hug, which lingered a bit longer than necessary before she switched places with Bess and greeted Joe.

"Joe! Frank!" Bess squealed after releasing Frank from her own welcoming hug. "It's so good to see you!"

Nancy pressed the button for the ninth floor and the elevator doors closed, the elevator beginning to rise slowly.

"I don't know why I'm surprised," Joe said, putting an arm around Bess's shoulders. "You two always seem to pop up on interesting cases."

Nancy's interest was piqued instantly and she glanced between the brothers, her gaze resting on Frank. "Case?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

Before Frank could respond, Bess interrupted. "Oh, no. No cases, Nancy. You need to focus. You are here to play, not to save the world for the two hundredth time."

"Bess," Nancy whined, giving her friend a pleading look.

Bess sighed and rolled her eyes, but smiled, letting her friend know that she didn't honestly expect her to pass up a mystery.

"Wait, you're _not_ here for a case?" Frank asked, studying Nancy.

"Nope," Nancy replied. "I'm playing in the Celebrity Pro-Am charity golf tournament." Joe snorted and Nancy glared at him. "I'll have you know, Joe, I'm not that bad of a golfer."

Joe laughed and raised his hands defensively. "Whatever," he said chuckling.

"So, what's this case?" Bess asked, intervening before they started bickering like siblings.

"We've been hired by one of the golfers. He's been getting threats--," The elevator dinged and came to a stop on Frank and Joe's floor, interrupting Frank mid-sentence. They hesitated. "Umm, do you want to meet back in the lobby in about twenty minutes and we'll explain?" Frank asked. "We need to get our suitcases put away and change for tonight's banquet."

Nancy nodded, smiling. "Ok, see you then!" She called as the elevator doors began closing. As soon as the boys were out of sight, she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She looked over at Bess, who was giving her a pointed look. Before she could comment, the doors dinged and opened once more. They stepped out of the elevator and began making their way to their room.

"Nancy," Bess began, but Nancy cut her off.

"No. Not talking about it," She said, pulling her card key from her wallet as they stopped in front of their door.

Bess rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said. "But, for the record, it's been two months."

"But we dated for _much_ longer than that," Nancy sighed, opening the door and taking her clubs from Bess, setting them down near the door. Their hotel room was decorated in the same elegant-yet-modern style as the rest of the hotel. The large sitting room area was furnished with a large but stiff beige sofa, matching love seat, a medium-sized circular glass coffee table, and a standard hotel entertainment center.

"True," Bess conceded, walking across the room to the wet bar and setting down her bag before stepping into their bedroom and opening the closet. Nancy followed her and laid down on one of the two queen-sized beds, tired from her round of golf. She watched as Bess searched through her wardrobe before turning around, holding an outfit in each hand. In her right hand she held a light blue, sleeveless sundress and a thin white knit sweater, and in the left, a white peasant skirt with a coral-colored collared shirt. "Which one?" She asked.

Nancy gestured toward the light blue sundress her friend held in her right hand. "That one," she said.

"I agree," Bess replied, setting down the other outfit.

Nancy stood up from her place on the bed and went to her own wardrobe, quickly deciding on a scoop-necked summer-green dress that had three-quarter sleeves and fell to just above her knees. She closed her eyes and sat back down after quickly doing her makeup. Running a brush through her shoulder-length strawberry blonde hair, she waited for her best friend to finish up, thoughts of Frank Hardy in Egypt running through her head the entire time.

……….

"Are you ready yet?" Frank called to his brother through the bathroom door.

"Easy, bro," Joe said, opening the door. "Perfection takes time," he joked and stepped out.

Frank rolled his eyes at his brother, but grinned. "Whatever."

Joe sat down on his bed as he put on his shoes. "You look nice," he commented on his brother's navy blue polo and khaki dress pants, which was similar to his own outfit.

"It's a banquet, Joe," Frank said, not wanting his brother to start. "And we're meeting a client."

"Really?" Joe asked nonchalantly. "Are you sure it doesn't have anything to do with the gorgeous detective we just ran into and are meeting downstairs?"

Frank rolled his eyes and sighed. "Maybe a little," he admitted quietly.

"Aha!" Joe exclaimed from the bed. "I knew it!"

Frank tossed a pillow at his brother's head as he stepped into his own shoes. "But that stays between you and me. Not that anything can happen. She's in love with Ned, remember?" he glared at his brother's smirk as his mind replayed oh-so-clearly the 'conversation' he had with Nancy after their case in Egypt. She had always had Ned, and always would…no matter how much he might admit to himself he wanted that to change.

"Hey, it's not like _I_ care," Joe stood up and grabbed his wallet off the side-table before he shoved it in his back pocket. "I love Nan and all, but she's like the little sister I never had…or wanted, for that matter."

Frank laughed at his brother and put his own wallet in his pocket. "You ready?"

"Yep," Joe said and stepped out into the hallway, leaving Frank to turn out the room's lights. "She only has eyes for you anyway," he called over his shoulder. "Even when Ned _is_ around."

……….

"OK, fill me in on the case," Nancy said quietly, leaning forward so her elbows were resting on her knees, eager for information. She, Bess, Frank, and Joe sat in a secluded corner of the large hotel lobby, surrounding a dark brown coffee table.

Frank and Joe exchanged a quick look before Frank nodded and began speaking quietly. "Nick Ford began receiving threatening messages about a month ago," he said. "They started out as just notes on scraps of paper left for him to find. The first one told him he didn't deserve his success and to watch his back; the second, same thing. Then he started getting voicemail; A couple were just hang-ups, but two or three were actual messages left in some kind of automated voice telling him he should enjoy his life while there was anything to enjoy left in it."

"The weird thing is," Joe cut in, "that they never really said, like, specifically what would happen. Even the most recent one he received, which told him to throw the tournament, didn't say what was going to happen to him if he didn't listen; just a big 'or else' and 'he'll regret it'."

Nancy raised her right eyebrow slightly, giving the boys an incredulous look. "But why?" she asked. "Wouldn't telling him what the consequences will be if he doesn't give in to their demands make him more likely to do just that? Isn't that what they would want?"

"You would think," Frank replied, nodding.

"I don't know," Bess said, hugging her arms to her body closely and glancing the lobby quickly, obviously paranoid by the new information. "The fear of the unknown can be just as bad."

"True," Nancy said, but she seemed unconvinced. "You said there were voicemail? I assume they've already tried to trace them…"

"No luck," Joe nodded, following her train of thought. "And no fingerprints or DNA left anywhere on or around the notes."

"Suspects?" Nancy asked.

"We don't know yet," Frank said. "We're meeting Nick for the first time at the banquet tonight."

"Speaking of which," Joe said, glancing at his watch, "We had better get going. It's already six forty-five."

The group was making their way across the lobby when a thought came across Nancy's mind. "You guys don't mind me joining in on the case, do you?" she asked, for some reason beginning to feel slightly insecure.

"Are you kidding?" Frank asked, stopping mid-stride to stare at her incredulously.

Nancy exhaled and grinned. "Just making sure," she said. "I didn't want to intrude or anything."

Joe laughed. "Nancy, Nancy, Nancy," He patted her back and shook his head. "Insecurity doesn't look good on you," he grinned. Bess mumbled something under her breath that Joe couldn't make out. He caught her eye and gave her a questioning look, but she shook her head and looked away.

Nancy rolled her eyes at Joe, but smiled, having missed the loving teasing she received from him when she was with the Hardys.

"No, this will be great, Nan," Frank said, the group starting to walk once again. "You'll be able to be places only players can go. That will give us access everywhere… And I know Nick won't mind; he just wants this whole thing to be over."

The four had decided to walk the short distance to the golf course, which was literally just down the street from their hotel, and they were stepping up to the clubhouse door in no time.

The old but well-preserved brick building seemed to scream 'exclusive' and 'elegance' as they approached. Joe opened the door and allowed Frank and Nancy to enter, but stopped Bess before she could follow.

"What was that you said earlier?" he asked quietly, not wanting his brother and Nancy to overhear.

Bess looked confused for a moment before understanding flashed across her face. She sighed and leaned in closer to Joe, not really wanting her best friend to hear her."Insecurity is what a bad breakup can do to even the most confident girls," she said quietly, giving Joe a 'you know who I'm talking about' look before turning on her heel and catching up to Frank and Nancy, who hadn't yet noticed their absence.

Joe stood alone in the doorway for a moment longer, his mind digesting the new information before joining his friends once again. _So_ _Ned was out of the picture, huh? _This was definitely going to be an interesting case.

**AN2: Comments? Questions? Love it? Hate it? Let me know! Reviews make me write soooo much faster…not to mention the ego boost! ;) Chapter three should be up by Wednesday (Thursday at the latest). You know what to do if you would like it a little sooner! Thanks again! :) -E**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Thank you all sooooooo much for the wonderful reviews! I try to respond to each one, and really enjoy doing so! I am very glad everyone is enjoying this as much as they are! Just to clarify, in this story, Nancy and Frank are twenty-three and Joe is twenty-two. (Yes, Joe thinks of Nancy as a little sister even though he is younger than her) Also, I made a mistake in chapter one that has to do with the time change. New York is three hours ahead of California, not two. Not that it really matters when it comes to the plot, but I pride myself on accuracy! :) Thanks to saphiretwin369 for pointing that out! Anyway, I hope you enjoy chapter three! Please review! Sometimes, you'll get a little clue about what's to come… ;) **

Frank, Joe, Nancy, and Bess made their way to a large circular table near the back of the banquet hall. The elegant room was filled with people, including several Nancy recognized as being her competition in the tournament. Just as they were getting settled into their chairs, they were approached by a tall woman with long blonde hair and ice blue eyes who looked to be close to their age.

"You must be Frank and Joe Hardy," She said, extending her hand to Joe.

"That's us," Joe said, standing up to shake her hand.

"I'm Madison Stradtman," She said, shaking Frank's hand. "Nick Ford's fiancé."

"Nice to meet you," Frank said. "This is our friend Nancy Drew. She is also a detective, and will be helping Joe and me on the case."

"Oh! You're playing in the tournament, too, aren't you?" Madison asked, turning to Nancy.

"Yes," Nancy replied, smiling and instantly taking a liking to the woman. "And this is Bess Marvin, my close friend and caddy."

Bess smiled and shook Madison's hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"Nick is running a little late," Madison said as they all took a seat. "He's caught in traffic, but should be here soon."

"Are you a golfer, too?" Bess asked before taking a sip of her water.

"Yes," Madison replied, nodding and flicking a stray strand of blonde hair out of her eyes. "That's actually how I met Nick," she said, smiling warmly at the mention of her fiancé. "We were both doing a practice round for the same tournament. I was going a bit slower than usual because I had just come off a three-month break after breaking my ankle, so I told him that he could play through, but he ended up joining me."

"Wow," Bess sighed, a dreamy look coming into her eyes. "How romantic."

Nancy and Madison chuckled at Bess's reaction. "I guess it seems that way now," Madison said, smiling, "But at the time, it really wasn't. It was over a hundred degrees outside with ninety percent humidity. Romance wasn't in the forefront of my thoughts."

"That's for sure," A man's voice said from behind her. "But once we were back in the air-conditioned clubhouse, she couldn't resist me. Hi," he said, grinning at the group. "You must be the Hardys," the man said, shaking Frank and Joe's hands.

"You must be Nick," Frank replied. "It's good to meet you." After the rest of the introductions were made, Nick took a seat next to Madison.

Nancy smiled at the two as Nick greeted Madison with a quick peck on the cheek. Nick was at least six feet tall, and extremely handsome with long, curly brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. He wore a red polo shirt and khaki pants, which matched Madison's own red knit dress. Together, they made a very attractive couple that obviously cared a lot for each other.

"I'm glad you guys could make it," Nick said to Frank and Joe. "My father speaks very highly of you, which is more rare than you can believe," he chuckled. "And any detective-friends of Frank and Joe's must be just as good," Nick said, smiling at Nancy and Bess.

Bess laughed. "I'm just a friend. Nancy is the detective. I just tag along."

"Oh, good," Madison laughed, turning to Bess. "I was feeling way outnumbered!"

The group made easy conversation all through the banquet and opening presentations. Madison, Bess, and Nancy clicked instantly and got along very well, as did Frank, Joe, and Nick. By eight thirty, the banquet was over and the group got up to leave, deciding to go back to the Hardys' hotel room to discuss the case.

"So, do you have any suspects?" Frank asked, once they were all sitting in the hotel suite.

"Well, not really," Nick said, leaning back against the sofa and putting an arm around Madison's shoulders. "I have no idea, I mean, there are some people I don't necessarily get along with, but I have a hard time believing they would do anything like this."

"Who are you thinking of?" Joe asked.

"Well," Nick glanced at Madison and they shared a brief look before she nodded and he continued. "there is a guy named Jake Koenaman. I don't know him very well. He was on the team too, but he started hanging out with the wrong kind of people. Long story short, he lost his place on the golf team when his grades started slipping."

"Why would he be a suspect?" Nancy asked.

"Well, apparently he had his eye on Mad, which he never told me. He began to stalk her after we started dating," Nick held Madison's hand as he talked. She had stiffened, and looked scared just talking about the man. "I didn't know about it until Mad told me because Jake and I had never really been close and he had already lost his place on his team, so I never really saw him. But anyway, Mad ended up having to get an order of protection after he started to threaten violence."

"Why would you have a hard time believing he would threaten you if he was stalking her?" Joe asked.

"I don't know; he just always seemed to be angry with _her, _not me. He is definitely _capable_ of doing this, but I don't really think he is. Plus, he seemed to snap out of it after he was given the restraining order. We haven't had any problems, and it's been almost a year. I didn't start getting threats until about a month ago."

Frank nodded, understanding. "Well, you're probably right, but we should keep him in the back of our minds just in case."

"Anyone else?" Nancy asked.

"Well, there is Steven Ryan. He's on the team, too. We've never really gotten along, and I have always had a rivalry type thing with him, but I don't think he'd go this far."

"Why don't you get along?" Frank asked.

"I don't know, honestly," Nick said, shrugging his shoulders. "He's just…a jerk. The things he's said… I don't know, but he seems to have something against me. He told me I was overrated and only made the team because my father was an alumni of the school."

"All you have to do is look at Nick's scores to know that's just jealousy," Madison said pointedly, smiling slightly as she looked at her fiancé.

"Is Steven playing in the tournament?" Nancy asked.

"Yeah," Nick nodded. "Most of the team is."

They sat in silence for a moment, Frank, Joe, and Nancy exchanging looks as they thought.

"Sorry there's not more to go on," Nick chuckled. "I almost wish I could tell you I ruined someone's career or something."

Joe laughed. "Well, it just means we will have to work a little harder."

"Do you need anything else?" Nick asked, starting to get up. "We should get going. I have an early tee time tomorrow morning."

"I think that's it for now," Frank said, getting up from his seat to shake Nick's hand.

"Thanks again for doing this," Nick said. "I'm honestly not too worried, but it gives Madison and my dad some peace of mind to know that you are at least looking in to it."

"No problem," Joe replied. "It's our job."

"We'll get to the bottom of it," Nancy said.

Nick and Madison left and Bess sighed. "They are the cutest couple ever!" She squealed.

Nancy chuckled and grinned at her friend. "Did you see that ring?" she asked, remembering the white gold diamond engagement ring that had adorned Madison's left hand ring finger.

"Yes! Absolutely gorgeous," Bess stated. "It's simple, but beautiful. I'm going to have to ask her if I can look at it more closely tomorrow."

Nancy turned back to Frank and Joe, who looked slightly amused. "What?" she asked, not liking the looks they were giving her.

"I've never seen the girly side of you before, Nan," Joe said.

Nancy laughed. "It's there," she said, "Just not as dominant as the detective side. So what do you two think about the case so far?"

"I don't know," Frank said. Nancy couldn't help but admire they way he ran a hand through his hair when he was frustrated. "Like Nick said, there isn't a lot to go on. I think we're going to have to wait until tomorrow. We'll be able to observe a lot and see if we need to seriously consider anyone as a suspect."

"I agree," Joe nodded, getting up and grabbing a water bottle from the hotel-provided mini fridge.

"So we'll see you guys tomorrow morning in the lobby around seven?" Nancy asked, standing up.

"Seven?" Bess and Joe both asked, giving her an incredulous look.

Nancy rolled her eyes. "Yes, seven. We can eat and then head to the course. My tee time is at nine and I need to warm up."

"Alright," Bess said, still looking unhappy.

Frank chuckled. "You guys will live, trust me." He gave each of the girls a hug, once again holding on to Nancy for just a second longer than was necessary. "See you tomorrow, Nan."

**AN: Comments? Questions? Review! I know this chapter was a little boring, but I promise next one will be better and longer! Please review and let me know what you think!!! I hope you liked it! Let me know what I can do to make it better! Thanks so much!!!**

**-E**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** **Hey everyone! Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter!!! I wanted to say that as much as this has been following the Super Mystery format, I don't think the actual mystery is going to very much… I don't think you are going to be able to predict this one :) (Not that I don't LOVE you trying!) **

**This chapter is mostly emotional/relationship stuff… the mystery will pick up again more in the next chapter. Please review and let me know what you think!!!**

"…A bright and sunny day, with a high of ninety-six. There is a small chance of showers later in the day, but nothing too serious..."

Nancy groaned and opened her eyes, reaching out in the dark toward the alarm clock to turn it off. It was six o' clock the next morning, and Nancy definitely felt the lack of sleep wearing on her body. She sat up in her bed and decided to let Bess sleep for a few more minutes while she got ready. By six-thirty, Nancy was ready to go downstairs.

"Bess, it's time to get up," she called to her friend as she tied her hair back into a high ponytail. She was answered with a loud moan of protest and her friend pulling the covers above her head.

"Five more minutes," Bess replied, her voice tired and muffled by the comforter.

Nancy laughed, expecting this reaction. "Bess, I already gave you a whole half hour longer than I got. Up!"

"Ugh, fine," Bess threw off the covers and sat up. She glared at Nancy for a second before leaving the bed and heading to their bathroom.

"I'm going to head downstairs to eat," Nancy called through the door. "Unless, you'd like me to wait."

"No, that's OK," Bess replied over the sound of the shower, which she had just turned on. "Go ahead. I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Alright," Nancy said, grabbing her purse and golf bag before making her way downstairs. She got down to the lobby and smiled when she saw Frank sitting by himself in the same corner they had been in yesterday, sipping a cup of coffee while he read the daily newspaper. "Good morning," she said to him, setting down her things and taking a seat across from him in a large brown leather sitting-chair.

"Hey, Nan," he grinned. "Here," he said, handing her an untouched cup of coffee that had been sitting next to his own. "I got it for Joe, but I have a feeling he's going to take a while."

"Thanks," she said, taking a long sip of the hot drink. "Caffeine is amazing," she sighed, feeling her budding headache instantly disappear.

Frank laughed. "I agree," he set down the paper and picked back up his own coffee. They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, just observing each other quietly before he spoke up again. "So how've you been?" he asked. "We haven't really gotten to talk at all except about the case."

"I've been fine," Nancy said, shrugging her shoulders. "I've been working a lot."

"Same here," Frank said, his thoughts drifting to his many recent cases, which had been one of the big reasons for Callie making the decision she had made just a few days ago.

"So, how's Callie?" Nancy asked quietly, looking down into her coffee.

Frank sighed, and laughed a laugh that sounded a little bitter to Nancy. "Well," he said, looking up into her eyes, "I proposed last week."

Nancy gasped, her stomach clenching and her jaw dropping. She tried to control her reaction and forced a smile on her face. "Congratulations! I'm so happy for you!" she said, hoping she sounded enthusiastic and excited for him, even though she felt like she might throw up.

"You shouldn't be," he said softly, sipping his coffee again.

Nancy let her fake smile disappear instantly. "Why not?"

"She said no," he sighed softly, running a hand through his hair. "We broke up."

"Oh, Frank, I'm so sorry," Nancy said softly.

"It's OK," Frank said. "She's right. I'm too in love with solving mysteries, and wasn't going to give them up for her. Apparently, I couldn't have both."

Nancy's mind reeled as she continued to sip at her coffee. Frank didn't have Callie anymore. She didn't have Ned. She had a feeling things were going to become very interesting.

"What about you?" Frank asked. "How's Ned?"

Nancy laughed. "Why? You haven't talked to him lately? I was under the impression that you two were close," she said sarcastically.

Frank snorted, barely avoiding spraying Nancy with coffee. He and Ned had never hit it off…Ned was always paranoid of the obvious chemistry between the two detectives. "Right," Frank said, scoffing. "I forgot."

Nancy grinned at him and rolled her eyes. "Nah, I wouldn't know how he is," she said softly, an edge of sadness creeping into her voice.

"You mean…?" Frank trailed off, raising his eyebrows questioningly as his chest clenched. _Had they broken it off?_

"Yeah," Nancy said, shrugging her shoulders. "As good of a detective as I am…I didn't exactly string the clues together until after the solution was… shall we say, shown to me?"

Frank's gaze snapped up to meet Nancy's, but she glanced away quickly, seeing the anger in his gaze as he realized what she was telling him. "He didn't," he said, venom in his voice.

Nancy smirked and looked back at him. "Yep," she sighed. "We had gotten in another fight. The normal stuff; my mysteries, his flirting with other girls,…you."

"Me?" Frank asked, not really believing what he was hearing.

Nancy looked up at him shyly. "I had forgotten to tell him that I was going to New York to help you with that kidnapping case," she said quietly. "Apparently that meant I was… hiding something."

Frank leaned back in his chair. Nancy had flown out to New York to help Joe and himself out on a case nearly three months ago. "So he accused you of cheating on him, with me, and then goes and cheats on you," he stated quietly, not meeting her gaze.

"Basically… But apparently it wasn't the first time." Nancy replied.

"God, Nan, I'm so sorry," Frank said, leaning forward. "I can't believe I caused your breakup."

Nancy shrugged. "I'm not going to tell you I forgive you because it wasn't your fault. He was just being a big… Anyway, It's not _your_ fault. It's not like anything happened. Maybe it would be if it had been after…," Nancy trailed off and looked up at him nervously, not realizing how close he was now leaning until that moment.

"Egypt?" He asked quietly, not breaking her bright blue gaze as he replayed one of only two previous kisses they had shared in his mind.

"Yeah," she replied, a little bit breathless as the distance between them continued to get smaller. She glanced down to his lips and held her breath, not wanting the moment to end.

"Morning guys!" Joe's voice called, causing the two to freeze, their lips only inches apart. Nancy and Frank jumped away from each other and looked up to see the younger Hardy approaching them, completely oblivious to what he had just interrupted.

"Right on flipping cue," Nancy heard Frank mutter under his breath and she smirked. They always got interrupted when something was about to happen between them. She shared a meaningful look with him as Joe took a seat in the chair next to her... The conversation was definitely not over.

"Bess is over at the buffet," Joe said. "She's getting us each a plate."

"OK," Frank said. He returned to his newspaper and coffee as if nothing had happened.

……….

"Alright, Nan," Bess spoke to her quietly as they read the eighteenth green, remembering its break from their practice round the day before. "This is a pretty easy shot. Just watch the speed; it's been playing pretty slow today."

Nancy suppressed a giggle at her friend. She was a birdie away from being co-leader for the womens' division of the tournament. "Do you even know what that means?" she asked Bess quietly.

Bess laughed softly. "No. You caught me," she giggled. "But that is what I've been hearing. And you know what it means, so that's all that really matters."

Nancy chuckled, stepping up to her ball marker and setting her golf ball on the green behind it, putting the marker back into the back pocket of her navy golf skirt. She paused for a moment, visualizing the shot before taking her stroke, putting just a bit more force into it than she normally would have for the fifteen foot putt. Applause erupted around her after the ball sunk into the hole with a ping. She smiled, walking up to the hole and removing her ball before turning to shake her partner for the day's hand. She walked back over to Bess, who gave her a hug as they walked off the green.

"Great job, Nan," Joe said as he, Frank, Nick, and Madison approached them. The group slowly made their way back to the air conditioned clubhouse.

"I couldn't have done it without my awesome caddy," Nancy grinned. She glanced down at her watch. It was just after noon. She had been on the course for a little over three hours. "How much did you get to see?" She took a long sip from her bottle of water before handing it off to Bess, who took a sip of her own.

"Most of the back nine," Madison replied. "We got to see your eagle on the twelfth. That was great."

"Thanks," Nancy smiled. "So what are the plans for the rest of the day?"

"Nothing, really," Frank said. "How about we go get some lunch?"

"You read my mind," Joe said, rubbing his stomach and making Bess laugh.

"We can take my car," Nick said. "It can fit all of us."

"Sounds good," Nancy said. Nick and Nancy dropped their clubs off at the hotel before the group made their way to where Nick's SUV was parked. Nancy was rummaging through her purse, searching for her cell phone when she rammed right in to Frank's back, who had stopped short in front of her. "Frank, what--?" Nancy asked, but stopped when she saw what was wrong. Nick's white Cadillac Escalade stood before them, completely vandalized. Two of the windows were shattered, and all four of the tires were slashed. There was a long, deep scratch down the length of the right side of the car and the doors were heavily dented, the paint chipped in many areas, but what Nancy noticed the most were the words 'Warning #1' scrawled across the trunk in red spray-paint.

**AN: CLIFFY!!!! LOL, I'm sorry! Please don't hate me!!!!! Actually, I don't mind if you hate me…as long as you review, and tell me why :)**

**I'm sorry for making Ned the 'bad guy', but if something didn't **_**happen**_**, I don't really think they would have ever broken up! (High school sweethearts and all that….) Anyway, I apologize. I could have made it much worse, **_**trust **_**me :) **

**LOL, Seriously, though, **_**PLEASE**_** review!!!!!! I am so amazed at how many people are enjoying this story so far (EIGHTEEN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES!!!!!!!!!! OMG!), and I absolutely LOVE getting reviews. I know I definitely write faster and better when I get a lot of them!!! Also, I have been known to drop a couple hints about what is to come when I reply….. :) I love you all and am soooo grateful for your wonderful comments!!! **

**Thanks again! -E**


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER:**** I do not own anything. If I did, Callie and Ned would have been mysteriously killed off YEARS ago. Hahaha, just kidding. ;)**

**AN: Here it is! I managed to get it done a day earlier than I had originally planned! Yeah! Anyway, I appreciate all the reviews! I am sooooooooo happy with the response this story has been getting! THANK YOU ALL SOOOOO MUCH! I didn't give out any clues for this chapter because I couldn't figure out how to word them without giving away everything that was going to happen. Sorry! I'll try again this time. Anyway, I hope you like it! Let me know what you think! **

"So, I guess we can say that I was wrong in thinking those were empty threats," Nick said dryly, breaking the silent shock the group stood in, staring at the destroyed car.

"You could definitely say that," Joe said. Bess, Nick, and Madison stood back as the detectives quickly went to work on the car, checking for any evidence that may have been left behind. Joe examined the windows. "It looks like someone took a bat to them," he commented.

"Or a golf club," Frank said, raising his eyebrows slightly.

"That would definitely make sense," Joe replied, chuckling softly despite the serious situation as he checked fruitlessly for fingerprints.

"Should I call the police?" Madison asked from where she stood, looking slightly shaken.

"It's up to you," Frank said to Nick, who was shaking his head as he looked over the scene.

"No," Nick said firmly, putting an arm around Madison's waist. "I'd rather not. You guys are as good as they are, and I don't really want anyone else to be involved if it's not absolutely necessary."

"Hey guys, come look at this," Nancy called from the front of the car.

"What is it?" Frank asked quietly as he and his brother joined her. She was squatting down, examining the front left tire of the car, which had a deep gash in the side.

"Well, I'm looking at the angle of this cut," she said. "The way the car is parked," Nancy gestured to how close the left side of the car was the parking garage's wall. There was only about a two foot area between it and the wall, with barely enough space for the three to examine the tire. "It looks like whoever did this would have to be left handed. There wouldn't be enough room to make this deep of a cut, at this particular angle, for a right hander." She stood up and moved out of the way so the boys could get a better look at what she was saying.

"I see what you mean," Joe said. "It would be possible for someone who is right handed, but very hard."

"Hmmm… interesting," Frank muttered under his breath. "You're right," he nodded. "I think--," Frank stopped mid-sentence as something on the ground caught his eye.

"What is it?" Joe asked, looking over at his brother.

Frank reached behind the tire and picked up what looked to be a business card.

"A business card?" Nancy asked.

"No," Frank held the card up to examine it more closely. "It's an appointment card."

Nancy took the card and examined it, Joe looking over her shoulder. The card was for a sports nutritionist, with the date of the appointment written in on a blank. "The sixteenth," Nancy said. "That was yesterday."

"Bummer," Joe said. "That would have been a great lead. At least we have the name of the doctor, though. That might help."

"I don't think so," Frank said sullenly. "There would be no point in calling… patient lists are confidential. It is a start, though. Plus, it definitely points to Steven, since it is a sport nutritionist."

They continued to examine the car, finding nothing else of consequence. "Well," Frank said, "do you want to order room service?"

"Yeah, that sounds fine. I better go call my insurance company…," Nick said.

"We'll meet you back in our room, then," Joe said, nodding.

As Nancy, Frank, Joe, and Bess headed off to the Hardys' room, Madison hung back to talk to Nick.

"Nick," she said quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It wouldn't be fair of me to ask you to drop out of the tournament because of the threats," She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and leaned her forehead against his chest, "because I know you would do it for me if I really wanted you to."

"You're right," Nick said softly, encircling his fiancé's waist with his arms. "I would."

"So I'm not going to ask you to," She said. She sighed softly and wiped away the scared tears that were forming in her eyes. "You love it so much, and I'm not going to tell you to give it up. Just…please promise me one thing."

"Anything," Nick said quietly into her ear, rubbing her back softly.

"Be careful."

"I will."

……….

Forty-five minutes later, the group once again sat around the Hardys' hotel room, this time with each young adult picking at a meal of their choice.

"The 'Warning #1' thing is what concerns me," Nancy said before taking a bite of her chicken salad. "I think we are going to have to be on the lookout for another 'warning,'" she used air-quotes around the last word.

"You're right," Joe said, working on a pulled-pork sandwich. "I'll stay here tomorrow and keep watch on the rooms to watch for anything suspicious."

"I'll go to the course and keep an eye on things over there," Frank said, stealing a French-fry from his brother's plate quickly.

"So, do you know if Steven is a lefty?" Nancy asked Nick.

"No," Nick said. "I never paid attention. We can find out tomorrow, though," he took a sip of his soda. "It won't be hard to find out."

The group sat in silence, each one lost in their own thoughts about what was to come.

……….

Nancy and Bess sat on a bench outside of the clubhouse the next afternoon. They had just finished their second round of play, and were resting.

"You played really well today, Nan," Bess said, yawning. They hadn't gotten to sleep until nearly midnight the night before, and had to be at the course by seven, for Nancy's seven forty-five tee time.

"I don't know about that," Nancy said. She knew her mind had been wandering to the case during her round, which caused her to finish only one under par for the day, though she was still tied for the leading position. "I'm worried about a second 'warning,'" she sighed.

"Well, at least we're expecting it," Bess said, pulling her long blonde hair up into a high ponytail, attempting to cool off as much as possible. She glanced down at her watch. "It's almost ten," she said, changing the subject. "Nick should be done with his round by ten thirty."

"OK," Nancy nodded as a man standing a few feet away caught her eye. The man was at least six feet tall, with broad shoulders and blonde hair. He stood by the leader board, arguing into a cell phone. "Bess," she said quietly, elbowing her friend softly to get her attention. "That's Steven Ryan," she gestured with her head toward the arguing golfer.

"Oh," Bess said, following her gaze.

"Let's go talk to him," Nancy said, standing up swiftly.

"Wait!" Bess stopped her as she took out her ponytail. She did the same to Nancy's hair and pulled a small makeup kit from her purse, quickly fixing both of their makeup.

"What are you doing?" Nancy asked, laughing.

"If we want information, we need to put on the charm," Bess said, as if it was obvious. "Honestly, Nan, It's not complicated. I've had enough experience on your cases to know the best ways to get the information we want."

Nancy rolled her eyes at her friend, but knew she had a valid point. Bess had definitely learned a trick or two on her many cases. They waited until Steven hung up the phone before walking up to him.

"Excuse me?" Bess said sweetly, looking up at Steven through her long eyelashes.

"Can I help you?" He asked, smiling smoothly at Bess. The man was definitely attractive, especially up close, but there was an air of arrogance that surrounded him that turned Nancy off immediately.

"Are you Steven Ryan?" She asked.

"Yes," he replied, winking a green eye at Bess. "And you are?"

"Bess Marvin," She said. "And this is Nancy Drew," she gestured to her friend.

"Hello," Steven said, registering Nancy's presence for the first time. "You're playing in the tournament, right?"

"Yes," Nancy smiled. "And Bess is my caddy," she said.

"This is kind of embarrassing," Bess said, pulling out a piece of paper from her pocket. "But, can I have your autograph?"

"Of course," Steven said, still grinning smoothly.

Nancy grinned at her friend's cleverness and acting skills as Steven pulled out a mini-Sharpie from his pocket.

"You carry a Sharpie in your pocket?" Bess teased flirtatiously, laughing.

"I use it to mark my ball," Steven said, chuckling, "And to give autographs to pretty girls." Nancy grinned triumphantly as he took the piece of paper from Bess and wrote out a short message before signing his name, all with his left hand.

"Thank you so much," Bess gushed, still laying it on thickly.

"I'll see you around," Steven grinned cockily and put the autograph in Bess's hand before turning and walking away.

Nancy laughed as Bess fake-gagged once the man was out of ear shot. "What a slime ball," she said. "So, he's left handed. Do you think he's our bad guy?"

"I don't know," Nancy said, "but it's definitely another strike against him."

Bess nodded and looked down at the autograph. "Nan, look at this," she gasped.

"What is it?" Nancy asked, taking the piece of paper from her friend. She laughed when she realized what her friend was talking about. Steven had written 'Call me' in messy handwriting, before signing his name and phone number. "You're just a professional flirter," she chuckled, giving it back to her friend. "Are you going to?" she asked. "Call him, I mean."

Bess scoffed. "Ha! No way," she said. "Did you see how arrogant he was? Give me a break," she rolled her eyes at the thought. The girls went back to their bench to wait for Nick, Madison, and Frank, who were going to join them once Nick's round was over. "Unless it could help us get some more information," Bess said.

"Maybe," Nancy said. "I don't know. We can keep the option open."

"Speaking of men," Bess said. "I didn't get to ask you earlier, but I know Joe interrupted something between you and Frank yesterday morning. What's going on between you two?"

Nancy sighed, expecting the question. "He and Callie are over," she said quietly.

"Really?" Bess asked eagerly. "That's good, right?"

"I don't know," Nancy said, running a hand through her hair. "It's confusing. I just…I don't know. I've had this chemistry with him for so long, but we're such good friends… And he lives in New York….I just wish it was a simpler thing."

Bess nodded understandingly. "I get it," she said. "It's complicated."

Just as Nancy replied, her cell phone started ringing.

"The Pink Panther?" Bess laughed, hearing her friend's ringtone.

"Oh, shush," Nancy rolled her eyes. "That's only Joe's ringtone."

"I get it," Bess said, laughing. "Joe being a detective and everything."

"Yeah," Nancy said.

"What is Frank's, Endless Love?" Bess managed to say through her laughter, as she clutched her side and threw her head back. Nancy had to laugh at her friend's joke as she rolled her eyes and pressed 'talk.'

"Nancy?" Joe's worried voice asked.

"Yeah, what's going on?" Nancy asked. Joe had been at the hotel all day, keeping an eye open for a second warning.

"We have a problem."

**AN: Alright, so there it is! I'm sorry about the cliffy. Two in a row! Anyway, please drop me a line (or six ;), and let me know what you think! Constructive criticism is always welcome :) I respond to each and every review (as long as they're not anonymous), so I can answer any questions you may have. Thanks again! –Emeralds and Rubies**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Alright, so here it is!!!! I'm sorry that this chapter might be a bit boring, but it is very important! Thank you sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much to everyone who has reviewed! I appreciate it more than you know :) I'm probably not going to be able to update as quickly as I have been because my real life (that I often find myself avoiding) is catching up to me :). No worries, though! I will continue with this story and write whenever I can. The next chapter WILL be up by Saturday, April 11****th****, but hopefully sooner. Thanks again! Don't forget to review and let me know what you think!**

Nancy, Bess, Frank, Nick, and Madison arrived at the hotel fifteen minutes later, quickly making their way up to Nick's room, which was on the third floor.

Joe paced the hallway in front of the door, waiting for them to arrive.

"Joe!" Frank called when they saw his brother. "What's going on?"

Joe had refused to go into detail on the phone, so they were all anxiously awaiting his explanation. Joe opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off when Bess let out a squeak and rushed toward him, her hand flying to his forehead. "Joe! Is that a bruise?"

Joe grimaced as she examined the tender, developing bruise about the size of an apple on his forehead.

"What happened?" Frank demanded. "You were attacked?"

Joe sighed. "Yeah, I left the room to get a soda from the vending machine. I was only gone for a minute, and nothing looked like it was wrong until I opened the door." He removed Bess's hand from his head gently and turned toward Nick's door. He slid the card key in and out quickly before opening the door and gesturing for the group to enter.

Nancy gasped as she saw the room. It was a complete mess. The sofa's cushions were on the carpeted floor, along with what looked to be the entire contents of Nick's suitcases. The pictures hanging on the wall were all crooked, one of which now had a cracked frame.

"Did you find anything?" Frank asked, assuming his brother had already examined the scene.

"I haven't really looked around yet," Joe said. "I wanted to wait until you got here."

"Wait, so how did you get the bruise?" Bess asked, as Nancy quickly began to examine the room for evidence, Frank and Joe following closely behind her. Bess, Nick, and Madison hung back so they wouldn't interfere with anything.

Joe sighed and ran a hand through his slightly shaggy blonde hair, a trait he had picked up from his brother. "I walked back into the room and the lights were off, which I instantly noticed because I had left them on. After I switched them back on and saw the damage, I heard the door slam behind me and turned around to see who was there. The guy hit me over the head with that lamp and everything went black."

"Did you notice anything specific about your attacker?" Frank asked his brother, looking at him hopefully.

"No," Joe sighed, sounding frustrated. "It all happened pretty quickly. I could tell it was a man, but he was dressed in all black and his face was covered. He had a pretty normal build…wasn't a giant or anything, but definitely muscular."

"Do you know the time of the attack?" Nancy asked as she noticed a piece of loose leaf paper sitting on the wet bar.

"Um… probably right around ten. Maybe a bit before," Joe said after a moment, having to think about it. "I remember there was a digital clock next to the vending machine. It was nine forty-something when I was getting a soda."

"Then it couldn't have been Steven," Bess interjected, sounding frustrated. "Nancy and I were getting information out of him right around then, after we finished."

"He could've hired someone to do the dirty work," Frank pointed out as he joined Nancy by the wet bar. She had picked up a piece of paper with a tissue. "What's that, Nan?"

She handed the piece of paper to him; carefully making sure he only touched the tissue so that they could check the paper for prints later. "Our mystery man would like us to know that this is officially 'warning number two,'" She said to Bess, Nick, and Madison, who by now had started to carefully clean up the mess. She shook her head as she spoke, watching Frank read the paper. Just like with the first warning, the only thing written on it were the words 'Warning #2' in messy handwriting with a red marker.

"Did you find out anything from Steven?" Joe asked, joining his brother and Nancy to take a look at the paper himself.

"Well, he is a lefty," She shrugged, "but that's hardly incriminating evidence." She looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking again. "He was arguing into a cell phone when we first saw him… maybe he was mad that whoever he hired to trash the room ran into you?"

"It's a possibility," Joe said, nodding in agreement. "A long shot, but you never know."

Nancy began helping the others with the cleanup as Frank and Joe checked for finger prints on the paper.

"Nick, how did your round go?" Joe asked from his seat at the small round table.

"I finished five under for the day," Nick said, grinning, "Which puts me at nine under for the tournament. I am _NOT_ going to let these threats stop me from taking home first." Nancy chuckled at the obvious passion the man had for the tough sport. "Besides," Nick continued as he put the sofa's cushions back where they belonged, "this is just…stuff. This guy hasn't even threatened my life or anything, so why would I listen to him?"

Madison rolled her eyes at her fiancé. "Nick, even if he had threatened your life, you wouldn't listen to him… which means that I would probably end up as a widow."

Nick laughed, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "We're not married _yet_," he said. "You wouldn't be a widow…you would just have a dead fiancé."

Madison pursed her lips and folded her arms across her chest, the conversation obviously taking a turn that upset her. "Well, I definitely would not prefer either one."

Nick just laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Don't worry, Mad," he grinned. "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

"Good," She huffed softly, leaning her head on his shoulder. Nancy was amazed at how well she had handled everything so far… she knew it must be hard on her to have Nick being threatened; especially when it was obvious how much the couple cared about one another.

"Find anything?" Nancy asked Frank and Joe, who had been working around the note, checking for fingerprints.

Frank sat back and sighed, running a hand through his thick brown hair. "Nope," he said. "It's totally clean."

"Yeah, this guy knew what he was doing. You?" Joe asked.

Nancy sighed. "No. It looks like that card is the only slip-up he plans on making."

"It was a pretty big one, though," Joe muttered, shaking his head, obviously frustrated at the thought of not being able to pursue the lead.

Frank was about to interrupt, but was interrupted by Nick's cell phone, which began to ring 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' loudly from his pocket. Nick quickly checked the caller ID. "Well it's about time you called," he muttered under his breath before answering the phone. "Where are you, man? I had to find a replacement at the last minute," He said into the phone, sounding very frustrated. There was a long pause. "Oh." Pause. "It's fine, man. Don't worry about it. Yeah, that sounds fine. Like half an hour?" Nick glanced up at the rest of them. "Yeah, party of six. Ok. See you then. Bye," Nick snapped his cell phone shut quickly and sighed before looking up at everyone. "That was Jake," he said.

"The missing caddy?" Frank asked, looking curious.

"Yeah," Nick nodded.

"Wait, what missing caddy?" Nancy asked, thoroughly confused.

"Well, my best friend Jake is my caddy, but he didn't show up this morning and I couldn't get a hold of him," Nick shook his head, looking like he was still annoyed at the situation, despite having just given forgiveness over the phone.

"He called him like twenty times," Frank added, smiling.

"Where was he?"

"Apparently, his car broke down this morning on the highway in an area where he didn't have cell service. No matter where he went he couldn't get reception, and the walk to the nearest exit was too far. It took over an hour for someone to pull over and help him. Then it took almost another hour for the triple-A service to get to him. He felt really bad," Nick said. "I'm just glad he's OK, though. I mean, I was starting to get worried that he had really gotten hurt. He always answers his phone."

"Oh," Nancy nodded in understanding.

"I told him we'd meet him for lunch in a half hour…I hope that's OK." Nick glanced between them.

"Sounds fine to me," Joe said, and everyone else quickly agreed.

"Alright then," Nancy smiled, trying to forget about the mystery for a moment as they headed off to lunch.

**AN: OK, I warned you it was a little dry, but like I said, it is important. Please review! I love to know what you're thinking. Plus, there was no evil cliffie (as awesome as they are ;), so I think that deserves a review!**

**Thanks again!!!**

**I love you all,**

**-Emeralds and Rubies**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: For some reason, I was having trouble uploading this chapter. I apologize if you received multiple 'new chapter' alerts. Alright, so I got this done waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay before I expected. Yeah!!! I think that deserves a review, right??? I want to thank everyone who has reviewed so far. I'm amazed that you all like the story as much as you do! Thank you, thank you, thank you. :) I read and respond to each and every review I receive, so feel free to ask any questions you may have, or just let me know what you're thinking! Thanks again!!! Read on!**

"Table for six?" A young blonde seating hostess asked the group as they entered the small café where they were to meet Jake.

"Actually, we're meeting someone," Nick replied, and the hostess nodded in understanding and led them through the trendy restaurant.

Nancy glanced around, surprised at how crowded the small café was. Nearly every small round table had people seated at it, along with the booths along the back wall. Many of the customers were dressed in business attire, obviously making it a popular spot for business meetings and lunch breaks. Nancy noticed a man about their age sitting alone in one of the booths they were heading towards, and she guessed he must be Jake. Her suspicions were confirmed when the hostess stopped at his booth and he stood up to greet them.

"Hey, man," Jake said to Nick, greeting both Nick and Madison with quick hugs before turning to the others to introduce himself. "You must be the Hardys and Nancy Drew," He grinned, flashing his bright white, perfectly straight teeth. Jake had slightly shaggy black hair, similar to Joe's in style and cut, and piercing emerald green eyes. He was about three inches shorter than Nick and less muscular, but still athletic in build.

"Yes," Nancy smiled, shaking his hand firmly. "And this is our friend Bess Marvin."

Jake nodded to Bess and shook her hand as well. "Nice to meet you all," he said. The group quickly took their seats in the booth with Jake, Nick, and Madison on one side and Nancy, Frank, Joe, and Bess squeezed into the other.

The waitress appeared as they got settled and took their drink orders quickly. "So did you get everything with your car worked out?" Nick asked Jake as they all began to look over the menus they had been given.

"What?" Jake asked. He looked confused for a moment before recognition dawned on his face. "Oh, yeah," he shook his head and sighed loudly. "It took forever, though. I'm really sorry, Nick, again."

"Don't worry about it, man," Nick said as the waitress returned with their drinks. Nick took a sip of his soda and shook his head. "Seriously; it all worked out."

"Good," Jake said. "Why wouldn't it?" he mumbled quietly, under his breath.

Nancy glanced up at Jake, who didn't notice her eyes on him. She glanced around, realizing that she was the only one who heard the resentful comment. She looked back down at her menu, storing the comment in the back of her mind.

After the waitress returned and they each gave their meal orders, the conversation turned into a livelier one. Nick and Jake began talking about their high school days together, which apparently consisted of many pranks and awkward situations.

"Wait, you were a cheerleader?" Joe asked Jake, nearly spitting out his soda as he tried to conceal his laughter with a cough.

"Yeah, I know. Embarrassing," Jake smiled, but it didn't necessarily reach his eyes. "Not exactly something I like to relive," he elbowed Nick in the side, who had brought it up.

"Sorry," Nick said, chuckling softly. "I didn't mean to. It kinda slipped out," though he was grinning slightly, he did look genuinely apologetic for bringing it up.

Nancy laughed, remembering her own high school days. She had never had any desire to be a cheerleader… that was more of Bess's territory. Nancy had never like how all the cheerleaders had to do everything exactly the same during a game of competition; same hair, same outfit, same standing position, same sitting position… they even had to hold their hands the same way. She knew it did take a lot of skill to be a cheerleader, but she still liked being an individual. Plus, it's not like she would've had the time… high school is when her detective skills really began to bloom.

"There is nothing wrong with being a cheerleader!" Bess said indignantly before taking a bite of her chicken BLT sandwich.

"Don't tell George that," Nancy laughed, thinking about the obvious animosity Bess's cousin held toward any kind of cheerleader, whether they be male or female.

"Oh, she's just jealous," Bess rolled her eyes.

"Jealous?" Frank asked, raising his eyebrows. George was hardly the type to be jealous of Bess because she had been a cheerleader. She was the ultimate tomboy, showing her girly side even less often than Nancy.

"OK, so she's not jealous," Bess admitted, chuckling. "She's just…mean."

Nancy caught Frank's eye and they both started laughing. "Wow, Bess," Nancy raised her eyebrows in amusement. "That's harsh," she said sarcastically.

Bess blushed and laughed, realizing how immature she must have sounded. "Sorry."

"Where is George anyway?" Joe asked before taking a sip of his ice water.

"She's a councilor at a children's camp during the summer," Bess replied as she rolled her eyes, obviously not understanding why someone would _want_ to spend more time outdoors. "It's some YMCA thing."

Joe nodded, looking mildly interested. That definitely sounded more like George.

"So, I never asked how you played today," Jake said to Nick.

Nick grinned. "I finished five under for the day. Maybe you shouldn't show up tomorrow either," he chuckled, teasingly punching his friend in the shoulder.

"Ha! Don't tempt me," Jake retorted, though something made Nancy think he was more serious than he tried to sound.

"Oh, man you totally just sounded like your dad!" Nick exclaimed. "Talk about de ja vu."

"Really?" Jake asked, not looking too happy about being compared to his father.

Nick's face fell. "Oh, I didn't mean that as a bad thing. I'm sorry Jake, I didn't really think."

Nancy caught Frank and Joe's eyes and raised her eyebrows in curiosity. Obviously, there was something they missed.

"Um, can I ask why that's a bad thing?" Joe asked, looking between Nick and Jake.

"I guess it's really not," Jake said, though his body language revealed something else. "My parents got divorced when I was in high school. My dad… well, he's just not a good guy. We haven't spoken for years."

"I'm sorry, Jake," Nick said. "I really didn't mean anything by it."

"Oh, I'm just overreacting," Jake grinned, trying to lighten the mood. "It's no big deal."

After they all had finished eating and the bill was paid, Nancy, Frank, Joe, Bess, Nick, and Madison said goodbye to Jake and made their way back to the hotel. A half an hour later they were all sitting down, this time in Nancy and Bess's room, once again discussing the case, trying to come up with a plan of action for the next day.

"Well, since the room has already been destroyed, I doubt it will be targeted again," Joe said. "This guy seems to like doing new things to surprise us. I'll go with all of you to the course tomorrow."

"Good," Frank nodded seriously. "The galleries are going to be a lot bigger tomorrow because it's Saturday, and we are going to have to keep an eye out for trouble."

"That sounds good," Nick nodded. "How many more 'warnings' do you think there are going to be before… there's a finale?"

"I have no clue, but I don't think it will be too many." Frank said.

"Hopefully," Nancy added, "We'll be able to prevent any kind of finale…. Like Joe said, we are just going to have to keep a careful eye on things tomorrow."

Nick, Madison, and the Hardys stood up to leave, and everyone began to say their quick goodbyes. Nick and Madison left first after thanking them once again, and Joe gave Bess and Nancy quick hugs before stepping out into the hallway, not bothering to wait for his brother. Bess gave Frank a quick goodnight hug before disappearing into her and Nancy's bedroom, leaving Nancy and Frank by themselves and looking at each other awkwardly.

"Think they planned this?" Frank chuckled, very aware that he was now alone with Nancy.

"I don't believe in coincidences," Nancy smirked. He heart was beating just a bit faster than normal, like it always did when she was with or really allowed herself to think about Frank Hardy.

"Well, goodnight," Frank said. He stepped closer to Nancy and gave her a hug, wrapping his strong arms around her small waist, not bothering to pull away quickly, as he had before.

He stepped back and looked like he was about to say something more, but stopped. "See you tomorrow, Nan," he said softly.

"See you," Nancy said, her heart falling slightly as he turned and left.

She turned around and sighed. "You can stop listening through the door, Bess," Nancy called, smiling as she heard a squeak coming from behind the closed door that led to their bedroom.

Bess opened the door and walked through, not looking the least bit embarrassed at having been caught eavesdropping. "That's it?" she asked.

"Why would there be anything?" Nancy asked, not meeting her friend's eyes.

"Right, Nan." Bess rolled her eyes. "Like you didn't want there to be anything else."

Nancy sighed. "Bess, he _just_ broke up with Callie. Plus, I don't even think he really feels that way about me. We're better just being friends," Nancy sounded as if she was trying to convince herself, as well as Bess.

"Nancy, you can't honestly believe that—" Bess paused as something sitting on the side table caught her eye. She walked over and picked up a thin black cell phone that was laying on the table.

"I think that's Frank's," Nancy said, looking at the phone her friend held in her hands. "He must have set it down and then forgotten it."

Bess looked up at Nancy and smiled mischievously. She began pressing buttons on the phone, and giggled.

"What are you doing?" Nancy asked, honestly having no idea.

Bess smirked, ignoring Nancy's question. "Hmmm… your number is on speed dial."

"Bess, what---?" Nancy was cut off by the sound of her phone ringing, and she turned bright red.

"_Hey, hey, you, you, I don't like your girlfriend! No way, no way, I think you need a new one. Hey, hey, you, you, I could be your girlfriend_!--"

Bess was literally on the floor doubled over in laughter as the song continued to play from Nancy's cell phone, ringing from its place on the wet bar.

"Oh, be quiet," Nancy said, still beet red as she silenced her phone.

Bess didn't listen, continuing to laugh loudly as she clutched her side and tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I did not make that my ringtone for him!" Nancy said defensively as her friend continued to laugh at her expense. "George did it to cheer me up after I broke up with Ned."

"But you didn't change it," Bess managed to say through her laughter.

Nancy rolled her eyes but couldn't help chuckling at her friend's mirth.

Bess began to calm down and tried to catch her breath.

"Bess, I swear, if you ever mention this to anyone…" Nancy let the threat hang in the air, causing a new burst of laughter from her friend.

"Nancy Drew making a threat? The famous detective finally becomes the villain," Bess giggled, her face slightly pink from laughter as she sat up and let her hands drop from her abdomen.

Nancy chose not to respond. "Come on, we have another early day tomorrow."

"Alright," Bess said. "I do get to tell George, though, right? I mean, really. She technically already knows and I can't just—"

"Goodnight Bess."

**AN: OK, so originally I hadn't planned on revealing Nancy's ringtone for Frank, but I realized how perfect the lyrics were, and just couldn't resist. (The song is 'Girlfriend' by Avril Lavign, but I doubt that any of you didn't know that : ) I know the scene was totally random, and a little out of character, but I had a lot of fun writing it and didn't want to edit it out, despite my better judgment :) On another note, I want to say thank you **_**again**_** for the reviews. I've received a lot of reviews from authors that I personally respect and admire, and am amazed that they like my story as much as I have liked theirs. I'm truly honored and extremely grateful. Please leave me a review and let me know what you're thinking! Thank you all so much!**

**Emeralds and Rubies**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Hey everyone! I'm sorry it took so long for me to update! Easter was just so packed, I couldn't find the time to write. This chapter is a little shorter than usual, but by cutting it short, I'll have the next one up sooner (hopefully by Sunday, but no guarantees :). You guys know me well enough to know that I can't go a whole author's note without asking you to review!!!!! I appreciate, read, and respond to every one. LOL, I am not above begging. Sorry if that bothers you :) Beware of a cliffie!!!**

**Thanks again!!!!! Talk to you at the bottom ;)**

Saturday morning dawned bright and clear. Nancy was awakened by her alarm clock at six thirty, planning to head over to the course early to help Frank and Joe keep an eye out for trouble, even though her tee time wasn't until noon. She dressed and got ready for the day quickly and silently, wanting to avoid waking Bess until it was necessary.

"Bess," She said softly, just as she was about to leave.

"Yeah?" Bess asked, her eyes fluttering open and her voice slightly slurred from fatigue.

"I'm leaving. You can sleep for another hour or two if you want. Just be at the course by eleven, OK?" Nancy asked.

"Sure. Thanks, Nan; This caddy stuff is harder work than I thought, especially with… " Bess was interrupted by her own yawning, "...The added mystery stuff," she yawned again, closing her eyes once again.

"No problem," Nancy smiled warmly at her friend who had helped her through so many events in her life. "I feel bad about the mystery, so it's the least I can do. I'll see you later. You need your beauty rest, anyway," she teased softly.

Nancy couldn't decipher her friend's muffled response a she closed the hotel door softly behind her, but she grinned because she knew it most likely had something to do with exactly where she could shove her smirk.

She grabbed a bagel and coffee in the lobby downstairs before heading over to the course, making the walk on foot in less than five minutes. As she entered the clubhouse, she spotted Frank and Joe sitting at a small, circular booth in the corner.

"Hey guys," she said as she joined them, sliding into the booth next to Joe. "Anything interesting happen yet?"

"Nope," Frank responded, shaking his head and lifting his own coffee to his mouth. "It's already twice as crowded as yesterday, though."

Nancy looked around and realized he was right. For being only seven in the morning, the elegant, upscale clubhouse restaurant was teeming with spectators. She was glad the tournament was doing well; that would mean they would raise a lot of money, but it only made their task of keeping Nick safe harder.

"Nick's tee time is at eight forty-five, so we have a while," Joe commented, stealing a piece of Nancy's bagel, earning a mock-glare from her before she offered him the rest of it, not very hungry. "No thanks," he denied. "We've got food coming. The clubhouse is offering breakfast specifically for the tournament."

"We didn't know you were going to eat at the hotel, so we ordered you some pancakes," Frank said, nodding toward Nancy's barely-eaten plain bagel.

"Thanks," she said. "This thing is stale anyway. So, when's Steven's tee time?" Nancy asked, glancing around the crowded restaurant.

"He's actually paired up with Nick," Frank replied, as a young waitress with curly red hair brought three plates of food to the table, setting one in front of each detective.

Nancy raised her eyebrows, giving the brothers a significant look, but refrained from commenting until the waitress had left. "Really? That should be interesting," she commented before taking a sip of her coffee.

"Definitely," Joe said, nodding in agreement as he pulled a plate full of eggs and bacon toward himself.

Nancy did the same with the plate of pancakes and bacon the waitress had set in front of her. She had only taken a couple bites of her bagel, and she knew she would regret it later if she didn't eat a real breakfast before her round of golf, so she quickly began taking bites of the meal.

"So how do you want to stake things out today?" Joe asked, not bothering to swallow his mouthful of food before voicing his question.

Frank shrugged, taking a quick sip of orange juice before answering. "Well, I suppose splitting up would be best," he looked at Nancy for her input. "Nan?"

"Well, one of you should definitely be with Nick at all times. I tee off at noon, but until then I can just make rounds and check for any suspicious activity," Nancy glanced at her watch as she spoke. She still had over three hours to do some investigating before she had to be at the first tee box.

"Frank, you tag along with Nick," Joe said. "I'll just act the part of a spectator… keep an eye out. Hopefully, Nick will be done with his round right around the time Nancy starts hers, so we can actually see some of it."

"Sounds fine," Frank said, nodding at his brother. "Just make sure that when you're 'spectating' you don't let Madison out of your sight."

Nancy looked up at him, confused. "You think Madison has something to do with the threats? Why?"

"No!" Frank shook his head. "She's definitely above suspicion. I just don't know what lengths this guy will go to get to Nick… I don't want her getting used against him."

"Oh," Nancy nodded. "Good idea." She took another bite of her pancakes. "Do you--?" Nancy cut herself off when she saw Nick enter the restaurant. He looked extremely agitated as he scanned the busy room. When he saw Nancy and the Hardys sitting in the corner, he approached them purposefully.

Nick sat down next to Frank and ran a hand through his long dark hair in frustration, mussing up the naturally-perfect curls. He held a sheet of paper with something printed on one side in his left hand. "This guy is seriously out to get me," He said, putting his head into his hands and shaking it in frustration.

"What's wrong?" Joe asked, eyeing the sheet of white paper.

Nick sighed, not lifting his head from his hands before speaking again. "Once in a while, coach will hit the golf team with a random performance enhancing drug test."

Nancy's stomach clenched. This could not be good.

"Mine came back positive," Nick said, handing the paper across the table to Joe, who studied it curiously.

"Steroid testing?" Nancy asked, looking dubious.

"I know, right?" Nick looked up at her and shook his head. "There is so much of that crap out there now days, every sport tests for them at some point. But I swear I haven't taken anything!"

Frank looked hesitative. "Nick, are you absolutely positive you haven't taken anything that would make these come back positive?"

"Of course, man!" Nick shook his head, causing his long brown curls to bounce across his forehead. "I don't take _anything. _Seriously_. _Not even daily vitamins."

Frank still looked doubtful. "Nick, I just don't ---"

"You have to believe me." Nick said, pleading with both his eyes and his voice. He looked desperate. "I would _never_."

Frank looked at him for a second longer before nodding. "Alright. I believe you."

Nick sighed, looking relieved. "I just don't get how these came back this way," he nodded toward the test results that Joe had now handed over to Nancy to take a look at.

"Well," Joe said, clasping his hands behind his head and leaning back. "There are a couple possibilities. Either it's simply a false positive, or somebody tampered with the results to try to get you off the team…or out of the tournament. When did you actually take the test?"

"Wednesday morning," Nick replied.

"And it's Saturday?" Nancy glanced up for quick confirmation. When Frank nodded, she spoke again. "So it's most likely the latter," She replied, handing the results to Frank.

Nick swore under his breath and stood up. "I have to get going," he sighed. "I need to go get this straightened out. Hopefully, they won't disqualify me. Are you guys going to be out there later?"

"Yeah," Frank nodded. "I'll catch up with you in a second." After Nick left, he glanced at the paper. He was about to hand it back to Joe when he froze. Quickly reaching into his wallet, he took out the appointment card they had found when Nick's Escalade had been vandalized. He nodded, his suspicions confirmed.

"Well," he sighed. "We definitely know one thing."

"What?" Nancy and Joe both asked, leaning forward and glancing between Frank and their only real clue.

"Nick is telling the truth."

**AN: Alright, there it is!!! Please let me know what you're thinking!!! Thanks again!**

**Emeralds and Rubies**


	9. Chapter 9

_**AN: **__**Disclaimer:**__** I own nothing!!!! I'll talk more at the end. Enjoy! :)**_

"_Nick is telling the truth."_

"How do you know?" Nancy asked, leaning forward eagerly and exchanging an excited glance with Joe.

Frank pushed forward the appointment card and medical test results. "It's the same doctor."

Nancy looked at the top of the test results. In small black print, it read '_From the offices of Dr. A. P. Utterson', _the same doctor for whom the appointment card was made. "So, you think it's the doctor?" Nancy asked, not following Frank's train of thought.

"No," Frank said, shaking his head. "Nick took this steroid test Wednesday morning. This appointment was on Wednesday afternoon. I think that our bad guy must have used their appointment time to tamper with either Nick's test, or the test results. There is no way this could be a coincidence."

Joe nodded. "I think this is definitely another strike against Steven…Dr. Utterson is the team's doctor, right? Isn't that what Nick told us?"

"Yeah," Nancy replied. She hesitated before voicing a thought that had popped into her head. "Guys, what if this wasn't our bad guy's appointment card."

"What do you mean?" Joe asked. Frank was looking at her intently.

"Well," she rested her chin in her left hand, her elbow resting on the table as she studied their clues. "We found the card by the car, right? How do we know it wasn't Nicks? Couldn't he have dropped it while getting out? What if, for some reason, Nick isn't telling us the truth."

"It's possible," Frank admitted somberly.

"I don't think so," Joe said. "I know it's possible, but I really believe Nick. He says he was there Wednesday morning, and my gut feeling is that he's innocent. Why would he want his results to come back positive anyway?"

"Who knows," Nancy said. Though she agreed with Joe, she wanted to look at every angle.

"It couldn't be publicity… he's kept this whole thing pretty hush-hush," Frank replied. "I agree with Joe. I don't think Nick has anything to do with this."

"Yeah, I think you're right," Nancy said. "It was just a thought."

They sat in silence for a moment, each thinking their own thoughts about the case. "How do you want to go about checking out the doctor's office?" Frank asked, looking between his brother and Nancy.

"Well," Joe said as he returned to his food. "I'm not sure."

"Those patient confidentiality laws drive me crazy," Nancy muttered. "I understand them and all, but they definitely don't make cases any easier."

Frank chuckled. "We know what you mean," he grinned at her softly.

"We can't go over there today," Nancy said, "Keeping an eye out for Nick is too important. Why don't we plan on heading over there tomorrow morning? My tee time tomorrow is at twelve-thirty, and Nick won't tee off until around three, so we could go check it out right after breakfast."

"Sounds good to me," Frank shrugged.

"You had better get going," Joe told Frank after glancing at his watch. "Nick should be teeing off any minute… if they are still letting him play."

"You're right," Frank nodded. He stood up from the table, pulling on a light brown jacket over his royal blue polo shirt. "See you guys later."

Nancy and Joe quickly finished off their breakfasts and paid their bill. They split up so that Joe could take his place as a spectator, and Nancy could look for anything suspicious as she prepared for her own round of golf.

Nick's tee time was moved back to ten o' clock. It took him an hour to work out the test results with the tournament committee and his golf coach, but they finally allowed him to continue participating in the tournament after he told them about the threats and offered to take a blood test to prove he hadn't taken any performance enhancing drugs.

Joe kept an eye on Madison all day. Though he was more concerned about the next 'warning', he never let her out of his sight. If the person threatening Nick was willing and able to tamper with Nick's steroid test, he had no doubt that he wouldn't think twice if he decided to target Madison as a way of getting to Nick.

As they had expected, the galleries were almost four times larger than they had been the previous two days. The people flocked from all the surrounding areas to support the charity tournament and enjoy the nice weather. Frank stayed as close to Nick as possible all day, acting as a personal bodyguard throughout the round. He spotted his brother in the dense crowds multiple times, and was glad he was there for backup if needed.

Nick finished his round at three under par, putting him at twelve under and in first place for the tournament. Steven picked up four strokes, putting him at ten under, and in second place. Nancy also played well, picking up four strokes of her own and remaining co-leader of the women's division of the tournament.

The day passed surprisingly quickly and, luckily, without any excitement that had to do with the case.

"So what are you thinking about the case?" Nancy asked Frank and Joe as they walked back to the hotel from the course. Bess, Madison, and Nick were walking a few feet in front of them.

"I don't know what to think," Joe said, shaking his head in frustration.

"Same," Frank replied, sighing and running a hand through his hair. "I was really expecting something to happen today… I suppose Nick's test results could count as a warning, but that doesn't seem too likely. This guy seems to like announcing his warnings."

"That's what I was thinking," Nancy said. She stared at her feet as they walked, deep in thought. "I have to admit, I'm a little worried. Tampering with those test results is a serious thing to do…It makes me wonder how far this guy is willing to go."

"Me too," Joe nodded. He hesitated. "So, going back to the fact that we weren't told this was a warning…"

"Yeah?" Frank asked, looking up at his brother curiously. "What are you thinking?"

"Well… I don't know," Joe shrugged and sighed, frustrated and confused by the case. "The whole thing seems strange to me. It just doesn't follow the same…pattern, for lack of better word, as the other warnings."

"You're definitely right about that," Frank said. "I've thought about the same thing. I think it could be because, technically, this was the first warning. If we are correct and the guy tampered with the results on Wednesday afternoon, then that was the first real action he took against Nick. Maybe he didn't decide to do the whole 'warning' thing until later."

"Maybe," Joe shrugged. "I just don't know. This whole thing has me confused."

"Same," Nancy replied. "We'll just have to be extra careful tomorrow. We should probably come up with a cover story to tell when we go to Dr. Utterson's office."

"Ah, we can figure that out later," Joe said, waiving away the topic. "I do my best thinking on the spot anyway."

Frank laughed. "Whatever you say, little brother," he replied dryly. He caught Nancy's gaze over his brother's head and rolled his eyes, causing her to chuckle.

"What?" Joe asked, completely oblivious to his brother's amusement.

"Nothing," Frank said, holding his hands up innocently, only causing Nancy to laugh harder. She had really missed these two, always having loved the way the brothers interacted. Being an only child, the closest things she had to siblings were Bess and George, and as much as she loved them both, there was just something different and special about Frank and Joe's relationship that she had to admit she envied slightly.

"Yeah, yeah... Keep laughing, Drew," Joe said, rolling his eyes at her, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly as he tried not to smile.

"I will," Nancy retorted, still grinning as her laughter subsided. She put an arm around each of the brothers' waists, lengthening her legs' strides a bit so she could stay up with them as they walked. "I missed you guys," she sighed, looking up shyly at Frank through her eyelashes. "We haven't really kept in touch," she spoke softly.

Frank returned her gaze with his chocolate brown eyes intently, which didn't go unnoticed by his younger brother. He looked as if he was about to say something when Joe spoke up.

"And whose fault is that?" Joe laughed, mussing up Nancy's strawberry-blonde hair, causing her to switch her attention from the elder Hardy to the younger. "It's your fault. You're the one who doesn't own a computer."

Nancy laughed. "I do too own a computer," she rolled her eyes. "I just have other things to do. There are only so many hours in a day."

Joe laughed. "Whatever," he grinned as she removed her arm from around his waist to fix her hair. He looked up at his brother, giving him a pointed look and nodding towards Nancy's other arm, which remained loosely around the older brother.

Frank met his brother's gaze for only a second before he looked away, and put his arm around Nancy's shoulders. "We missed you too, Drew," he said. "Cases with you are always more fun."

Joe snorted, trying to make his laughter pass as a cough. "Maybe not more fun, but definitely more…interesting."

Frank glared at his brother, who just laughed.

Nancy blushed, but rolled her eyes. She removed her arm from Frank's waist, embarrassed. "Yeah, interesting because you always seem to get yourself into some kind of trouble that I have to get you out of," She retorted, instantly missing the contact of Frank's strong arm as he removed it from around her shoulders, also catching on to suggestion in his brother's comment.

"Hey!" Joe exclaimed as they walked up the front steps of the hotel. "You two have gotten yourself into trouble plenty of times."

"True," Frank said. He shrugged nonchalantly, but his mind drifted to the time when he and Nancy had gotten snowed into a suspect's small mountainside hut by an avalanche. They had shared their first of only two kisses that day, both of them believing there was a possibility of not getting out; hypothermia and/or starvation both very real possibilities. Frank was definitely not going to complain about that particular bit of trouble they had gotten themselves into. Being stuck alone with Nancy was something he knew he would never complain about… _they had gotten out, right?_

They caught up to Bess, Madison, and Nick and quickly said their goodbyes before parting ways in the elevator, all apprehensive about what the next day was going to bring. For some reason, none of the detectives could shake the feeling that this was the calm before the storm.

_**AN: Alright, so there is the chapter!!! A little dry, but trust me, the next one won't be. Think of this as -- like I said-- the calm before the storm :) We are coming into the final few chapters, and I'm so excited!!! Thank you for all the reviews on the last chapter! I didn't get as many as I had for the previous chapters, but honestly, I will take what I'm given and be happy!!!! LOL :) I would have had this chapter done much sooner but unfortunately, I had a pretty bad flare up of a preexisting medical condition, and ended up in the hospital for six days. Total bummer. Anyway, I am now stable and feeling much better, so I hope to have chapter ten up by Saturday! Please review and let me know what you think!!!**_

_**Thanks again!**_

_**Emeralds and Rubies**_

_**AN2: OK, so I have the next chapter finished, but would like a few more reviews on this one before I post it, just to make sure everyone is still enjoying this, and I don't need to clarify anything. I'll have Chapter 10 up by Sunday for sure, but sooner if I can manage to get a few more reviews from you guys! Thanks again!  
**_


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Here it is! Since you were all so wonderful about reviewing, I decided to come through on my promise and post this one a day early!!! Thank you all so much!!! Cliffie alert! : ) **

Nine thirty the next morning found Nancy, Frank, and Joe standing outside Dr. Utterson's office. The office was about fifteen minutes away from the course, but it had taken them nearly twice that time due to the traffic caused by the tournament. The office was on the sixteenth floor of a local medical office building that was directly across the street from its sister hospital, and the surprisingly clear day allowed the detectives to see nearly all the way to the golf course from the large hallway windows.

"Alright, we are going to have to make this quick," Frank said seriously, his hand hovering above the doorknob.

"Right," Joe nodded. "What are we again?"

Nancy quickly repeated their cover story to Joe.

"Got it," he nodded to his brother, who then swiftly turned the doorknob and pushed open the door.

Nancy entered first and quickly took in her surroundings. The empty office waiting room was decorated much like every other doctor's office she'd been in. The walls were painted a light tan color, with a red border running across the middle. A medium-sized television hung in the corner, local news playing without sound, but delayed subtitles scrolling swiftly across the bottom of the screen. Standard waiting room chairs sat along the perimeter of the rectangular room, with a low, dark wooden coffee table piled high with weekly tabloids and sports magazines. Two, large, frosted white glass secretary windows were against the far wall, directly to the left of a wide door, presumably leading to the examination rooms. The only notable unique decorations were the many large autographed photos of famous sports stars that hung on the walls, all presumably former or current clients of Dr. Utterson.

Joe and Frank came in behind Nancy, and they made their way to the secretary's windows. Joe let out a low whistle as a couple of the photographs caught his eye. "Wow," he spoke softly. "Talk about some high-profile clients."

"For sure," Frank replied, nodding and following his brother's gaze. He recognized only just over half of the names, but the ones he did, he knew to be extremely good at their individual sports. Together, all of that memorabilia had to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Nancy lightly tapped on the secretary's window and waited for a response. Within seconds, the frosted glass slid open to reveal a pretty brunette with a high ponytail and blue eyes who looked to be about their age. "Can I help you?" she asked, smiling sweetly as her eyes locked on Joe.

"I believe you can," The younger hardy replied smoothly. He leaned forward and ran a hand through his shaggy blonde hair, laying on the charm with a crooked grin he knew to work well on women. Nancy caught Frank's eye and rolled her eyes. He grinned at her and did the same but shrugged. He was willing to go along with anything his brother came up with, as long as it gave them the results they wanted. "You see, we are from human resources," Joe said. "They wanted us to take a look around and see how efficiently each office is being run. Apparently, they are getting more and more applicants for jobs, and would like to know if there is anywhere to send everyone."

The secretary-- Sarah, by her nametag-- straightened up slightly, obviously sensing the threat of losing her job our hours. "I can assure you that Claire," she gestured to another woman, about the same age but with short blonde hair, who sat a few feet away, not facing them, "and I have this office well under control."

Joe continued to smile, unfazed by her reaction. "Oh, I know you do," he spoke sincerely, without a hint of sarcasm or mockery in his deep voice, "But they would still like me to take a look around. Do you mind if my partners and I just take a quick look?"

Sarah glanced at Nancy and Frank quickly before sighing. "Alright, come on around." She said, gesturing to the door on her right. The three detectives did as she said, opening the door that led to a wide hallway with multiple doors and a scale on each side, and then making an immediate right into the secretary's office.

The office was small and full, but clutter free. Sarah and Clair's desks and chairs were the only furniture other than a third desk that was empty apart from the computer that rested there. Five tall file cabinets stood against the far wall, and a coffee machine stood in the left corner.

"Do you mind if I take a look at your system?" Frank asked, gesturing to the computer that rested on the empty desk. "Just to prove you two have everything under control."

Sarah looked a little hesitative, but nodded. "Go ahead," she nodded. "You don't need a password or anything."

Nancy looked around skeptically. She hadn't thought this was going to be this easy. It seemed to her that a doctor with such high-profile client would at least have to have a password locked computer system for privacy reasons. If she had know this was going to be this easy, they would have come here immediately after finding the appointment card. She stood back and let Frank and Joe look at the computer, nothing for her to really investigate.

Claire, the other secretary, hung up the phone and looked up at them quickly before turning around to face Sarah. "Who are they and why are they here?" she asked, raising her eyebrows, looking annoyed.

Sarah sighed. "Human Resources is at it again," she replied, rolling her eyes before examining her perfectly manicured fingernails.

"Oh," Claire replied, seeming to need no further explanation as she turned back to her desk and flipped open a day planner.

Nancy glanced at the girl's desk. There was a large desk calendar taking up the majority of the desk's surface, with appointments and notes scribbled in almost every possible space. Nancy noticed that some of the appointments were written in with red ink, standing out against the rest, which were either in black or blue. Nancy pulled out a spiral notebook from her purse and pretended to take note on the office, stepping closer to the desk to read the calendar. She realized that everything written in red was a personal commitment. A couple of the red entries were notes to pick up something or make a phone call to her parents, but the ones she focused on were actual appointments. '_Appointment with florist—3 pm' _was written in one area, followed by _'Final dress fitting at tailor's—2:15'. _ The bridal magazines sitting next to the calendar and the large diamond engagement ring on Claire's left hand confirmed Nancy's suspicions that the girl was planning her wedding.

There were three picture frames sitting above the calendar, but one in particular caught Nancy's eye. She froze and her eyes widened. "I couldn't help but noticing your ring," Nancy said to the woman. "It's absolutely beautiful."

Claire looked up from her day planner and smiled. "Thanks," she said, looking down at her hand, a sparkle in her eye.

"Is that your fiancé?" Nancy asked, gesturing to the picture that had caught her attention.

"Ha! No, definitely not," she smiled wider and picked up the frame, handing it to Nancy so she could get a closer look. It was a picture of Claire riding piggy-back on a tall man with blonde hair and broad shoulders. They were laughing as they stood on a beach, the sun setting behind them. The picture looked to be a few years old, but the man's identity was unmistakable. "That's my brother Stevan. We're really close."

"Oh, now I see the resemblance! Sorry," she said, feigning embarrassment about jumping to conclusions.

Claire giggled. "Don't worry about it," she said. "I actually get that a lot. I would have a picture of my fiancé up here, but he always manages to look fantastic while I for some reason look terrible."

Nancy laughed. "I doubt that. You know, your brother looks really familiar for some reason," She put on a confused look, hoping Claire would take the bait. She wanted to be absolutely sure of who the man was.

"Well, he's a golfer," Claire said, shrugging. "Stevan Ryan? You may have heard of him," she set the picture back down in its place on her desk.

Nancy grinned internally, her suspicions confirmed. "Hmmm, that might be it," She said, shrugging. She was about to say something else when her phone started vibrating in her pocket. After all her recent ring tone confrontations, she had decided that simply putting it on vibrate was going to be her best bet at avoiding more humiliation. "Oh, sorry," she said, reaching for her phone.

Claire smiled and went back to her work as Nancy checked her caller ID. "Hey Bess," she spoke after lifting the phone to her ear.

"Nancy? It's Nick," Nick's deep voice came through the phone. "I'm sorry, I didn't have your number, so I had to use Bess' phone." He sounded worried as he explained quickly.

"No problem," Nancy said. Frank and Joe looked up at her curiously as she talked into the phone. "What's going on?" She asked, never having heard Nick sound so distraught.

"I think we ran out of warnings."

**AN: Duh, duh, duh!!! CLIFFIE!!!! LOL, sorry :) I warned you! So, this chapter was pretty much packed with stuff… not necessarily action, but definitely information. I wanted to say something really quickly about the whole 'Human Resources' thing. Where I live, all the hospitals have many parts. There is the actual hospital, and then there are a bunch of private, independent doctors and specialists that have their own practices [literally] next door. But, even though they are private doctors, they still technically work for the hospital. That's how the whole HR thing works out. Anyway, I hope that made sense. I assume things are like that everywhere, but I just wanted to make it clear in case they weren't. (And yes, I do know all about the privacy laws that these three just violated :)**

**Thank you all so much for reviewing on the last chapter. I just love to know what you're thinking. Honestly, I don't even mind if you don't like the story…I just want to know why so I can improve in any way I can!**

**Thanks again! (Wow, the AN was almost as long as the chapter!!! LOL :) **

**Emeralds and Rubies**

_**AN2: Alright, so I have the next chapter finished. I would like to get a couple more reviews on this one before I upload it, though--like last time, just so I know everyone is following my sometimes-random writing and i don't need to make anything more clear. Leave me a review, and I'll post the next chap ASAYD (as soon as you do ;)!!!!! LOL, thanks again ~E and R**_


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Alright, so thanks to everyone again!!! I decided to update a day early because I just couldn't wait to post this chapter!!! Drop me a line to let me know what you think!!! I added a little N/F at the end, just for you, as a thanks for being so awesome!!! Enjoy!!! :) **

"_I think we ran out of warnings."_

"What?" Nancy asked sharply into the phone. She glanced up at Frank and Joe and gestured for them to follow her as she exited the office, walking brusquely. She heard them thank and quickly say goodbye to the secretaries before catching up to her in the hallway, where she stood, looking out the window toward the golf course as she spoke to Nick.

"I said I think we ran out of warnings," Nick's voice continued to sound panicked and Nancy hit the speakerphone button so that Frank and Joe could hear him speak.

"Why? What happened?" Frank asked, glancing up and down the hallway to make sure they weren't being overheard.

"Madison is gone. I went down to her room this morning because we were supposed to meet for breakfast and she hadn't showed up. I thought maybe she overslept, so I went in and the place was a total wreck. There was another note on the floor. It said that I had my chance to back out, and Mad would pay for my choices," Nick's voice cracked as he spoke. "I don't know what to do! I never thought she was in danger, or I would have of course dropped out of the tournament! She means the world to me. What am I supposed to do?" He sounded desperate as he asked them, and Nancy could just picture the worried look on his handsome face.

"Nick, stay calm. We are going to find her," Nancy said calmly. "Where are you now?"

"I'm still in her room," Nick replied.

"OK. Stay there. I assume Bess is with you, right?" Nancy asked, remembering that he had called from Bess's cell.

"Yeah, she's here," he said.

"OK, put her on the phone," Nancy said.

"Alright, one second," Nick said. Nancy heard him tell Bess she wanted to talk to her, and there was silence for a moment before Bess's voice spoke from the phone.

"What do you need me to do, Nan?" Bess asked.

"Bess, you two just stay there. It's time to get the police involved. Call them and have them send an officer over. Explain the situation and tell them we are on our way. While you're waiting, check the room for any kind of evidence, but don't touch anything. We will be there as soon as we can, alright?" She asked, knowing her friend was more than capable of handling the situation until they could get there.

"Got it Nan, see you in a few minutes," Bess responded, all business, before hanging up the phone.

Nancy flipped her phone closed and looked up at the Hardys. "Things just got a lot more serious," she said, beginning to walk toward the elevators. "Did you guys find anything before Nick called?"

"No," Frank shook his head, pressing the 'down' button next to the elevator door and stepping back to wait. "We were just searching through the patient lists, but we hadn't found anything."

"Which is actually probably for the better," Joe said. The elevator they stood in front of dinged and opened. They stepped in and pressed the button for the ground floor. "If Sarah or Claire had realized they hadn't asked for identification… we could've gotten busted."

"Yeah, I was wondering about that," Nancy said. "With HIPPA and everything," she looked over at them, referring to the privacy laws and nodding. "It's amazing she didn't ask for anything. She could get fired if anyone ever found out."

Joe chuckled, despite the seriousness of the current situation. "The Hardy charm hasn't failed me yet."

Frank rolled his eyes. "Yet being the operative word," he said. "Either way, we better get out of here."

The three detectives quickly made their way back to the car, pulled out of the parking garage and onto the freeway. "Joe, you better slow down," Nancy said from her seat as she glanced at the speedometer, realizing Joe was currently going fifteen miles above the speed limit, and still accelerating. Luckily, the traffic had cleared slightly, but the still didn't like going so fast. "We don't want to get pulled over."

"Actually," Joe said, "That's exactly what we want."

"What?" Nancy asked, looking at Frank incredulously for explanation.

Frank just nodded. "Clever, Joe."

"Could one of you please explain why we are currently driving at criminal speeds?" Nancy asked loudly, gripping the back of Frank's seat for stability as Joe passed a red Corvette.

Frank grinned at her. "Drew, you should know how slow the California PD can be."

"What does that have to do with--?" Nancy paused and realized what Joe was doing. It would take a while for Bess to get a hold of the police, and even longer for them to get out to the hotel. Getting an officer to chase them to the hotel would be much faster, and they could most likely get out of the speeding ticket later. "Oh," she said. She was thrown forward forcefully into her seatbelt as Joe had to slam on the breaks to avoid a black Hummer that had cut them off. She swore under her breath. " I guess it's worth a try. Just don't get us killed, Hardy. Or anyone else, for that matter."

"Will do, Drew."

Sure enough, by the time they were almost at their exit, they noticed the lights of a police cruiser flashing behind them. "I'll pull up by the door. You two get out and I'll explain to the cop. With any luck, we will be right behind you," Joe said as he pulled out into the hotel's exit lane.

"Alright," Nancy said, unbuckling her seatbelt and unlocking the door as Joe pulled into the hotel parking lot. Frank did the same, and after Joe screeched to a stop, he and Nancy got out and ran into the hotel without a backwards glance. They could hear the cruiser pull up behind Joe and turn off its sirens.

"Let's just hope this guy listens to him," Frank said.

Nancy nodded. "He should be fine," she said, pressing the elevator button, sighing in relief as it opened immediately before them and they stepped in, pressing the button for the eighth floor, where Madison's room was. "He has his PI badge, so hopefully it shouldn't be a problem."

They got off on the eighth floor and walked down the hallway to Madison's room, the door wide open. Sure enough, when they stepped in, Nick was sitting with his head in his ands on the small couch and Bess stood by the wet bar and mini fridge, cell phone in hand and on hold with the police department.

"Don't bother, Bess," Frank said after they noticed their presence. "Joe should be up any second with the police."

"Good," Bess sighed. "I've already been on hold for ten minutes."

"God, I'm glad you guys are here," Nick said. He looked up at them desperately, his forehead cresed with worry. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Nick, where is that note?" Frank asked, scanning the room, which showed obvious signs of a struggle. Papers were scattered over the floor and the loveseat was on its side with a long rip in the side and it's cushions strewn about the room.

"Right here," Nick said, pulling a scrap of paper from his pocket and handing it to Frank.

"Did you find anything, Bess?" Nancy asked her friend, who was nervously tapping her long pink fingernails against her jean-clad leg.

"Nothing else," Bess shook her head and tucked a stray strand of long blonde hair behind her ear. "I checked the note though. It matches the handwriting on the last note, but not Stevan's autograph."

"Really?" Nancy asked, surprised to see her friend was correct as she took a look at the latest note that Frank handed her. "Stevan's sister is the one of the receptionists at Dr. Utterson's office. I was sure he was behind all this."

"Really?" Frank looked up at her, and she nodded, realizing she hadn't told the boys about Claire. "Well, he still could be," he said. "We will just have to wait and see."

"I swear to God if Stevan is behind this…" Nick said, standing up from the couch and clenching his fists, not bothering to hide the pure hatred in his voice. He ran a hand through his thick curls and let out a string of curses under his breath as Joe appeared in the doorway with a burly middle-aged policeman close behind him.

"Guys, this is officer Royball. He's going to help us with the case," Joe said, gesturing to man.

Officer Royball was at least six feet tall, with tan skin, closely buzzed black hair, and a clean-shaven face. He looked annoyed with Joe at the whole situation, but none the less ready to help. His voice was deep but smooth as he introduced himself to Nancy, Frank, Bess, and Nick. After quickly checking Nancy and Frank's own PI badges, he stepped out into the hallway to file a missing person's report for Madison.

"We don't know for sure if Stevan is involved, Nick," Frank said calmly, going back to their earlier conversation. "Don't worry. We _will_ get to the bottom of this and find Madison…." He trailed off and looked up at Nancy.

She didn't need him to finish his sentence to know what he was thinking-- _Hopefully, before it is too late. _She suppressed a shudder and began thinking about where to start their search. She glanced around the room and noticed Madison's purse was nowhere in sight. That could mean that Madison had it with her when she was kidnapped, which--if she still had it with her-- could mean… "Nick, does Madison have a cell phone?"

Nick looked up at her, slightly confused. "Of course… why?"

Nancy looked up at Joe, who was sitting next to Frank on one of arms of the sofa. He nodded, following her train of thought. "If she still has it on her, we might be able to use the internal GPS to find out where she is," he said swiftly, walking out to the hallway to speak to officer Royball.

"Do you think it will work?" Nick asked, looking up at Nancy and Frank hopefully.

"Yes," Nancy replied. She hesitated before continuing. "But I don't think we have much time. We can't wait. I'm guessing she's being held somewhere nearby, so Bess and I will go over to the course. You, Frank, and Joe follow up on the cell phone lead and meet us over there if you find anything. I have a feeling this guy is planning on making a scene…and what better way to do it than live television?"

Nancy and Bess were in the hallway waiting for the elevator when she heard Frank's voice calling her. "Nan! Wait!"

"I'll meet you in the lobby Nan," Bess said, stepping into the elevator, which had just opened.

"OK," Nancy said. She turned around and the elevator doors closed behind her as Frank approached. "What?"

Frank paused and looked around akwardly before running a hand through his dark hair. "Just...," he trailed off and met her gaze. "Be careful. I know you're more than capable of taking care of yourself, but it might take us a while to get to the course."

Nancy smiled softly as she looked into his chocolate brown eyes, full of nothing but concern. She stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a lingering hug. "I will," she said softly. She pulled back slightly to meet his gaze and gave him a small smile.

"Isn't this about the time when someone--," He began leaning coser to her, but was cut off by the elevator doors dinging and opening once again.

Nancy laughed and dropped her arms. "Yep, right on cue." She grinned and turned, stepping into the elevator. "I'll see you in a few," she said, the doors beginning to close.

Frank sighed, looking frustrated. As much as he wanted to continue this conversation, finding Madison was more important. "Bye," he said, just before the doors slid closed and Nancy was gone from his view. As soon as they found Madison, they would finish talking--no interruptions.

**AN: Alright, so there it is!!!! I hope you liked it! Things are definitely picking up!!! Thank you once again to all who have reviewed so far. I know I am probably beginning to sound like a broken record, but I am soooo amazed and honored at how many people are enjoying this story!!! As of when I updated this, I have gotten NINETY FIVE REVIEWS for this story!!!!!!! O. M. G!!!! My previous record was sixty! That is totally amazing. But... *looks sheepish*, is there any way you could help make it one hundred???? That would like, make my entire life. And if I could manage more than one hundred... well, I would eternally be in your debt. :) I've said it before--I'm not above begging. LOL, sorry--I'll stop now while i still have _some_ of my dignity ;)****.**

** I will have the next chapter up as soon as I can. Hope you liked it! I do accept unsigned reviews, so feel free to leave me one even if you don't have an account on . Drop me a line to let me know what you're thinking!!!**

**Emeralds and Rubies**

**AN: Alright, so I have the next chapter finished! I'll post it after i get a couple more reviews--like always, I just want to make sure there isn't anything to clear up :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: So, I had originally planned on going further in this chapter, but I just had to cut it where I did. Sorry! I know this is kind of a break in the action, but it will pick up again VERY soon. The end is near, and it should be pretty exciting. **

"So what's the plan, Nancy?" Bess asked as Nancy pulled into the parking lot of the golf course. They had decided to drive so they could get there as fast as possible, despite the walk only being about five minutes long.

Nancy pulled the key out of the ignition and sighed. She looked over to her friend as she quickly pulled her strawberry blonde locks into a high ponytail. "Well, I'm not sure," she said softly. She unbuckled her seatbelt and unlocked the doors, but didn't step out of the car. "First thing is first. We need to find Stevan. I know that it wasn't his handwriting, but I just know he has something to do with this. There is absolutely no way his sister being a receptionist at Dr. Utterson's office is a coincidence. Even if he hasn't taken Madison, he may know something."

"Alright," Bess nodded.

The girls got out of the car and locked the doors quickly before jogging up to the clubhouse entrance. The lobby was pretty full of spectators and golfers, but not as much had it had been the previous morning—most people were presumably out on the course watching their favorite athletes. Nancy quickly scanned the room for any sign of Stevan, but was unsuccessful. She was about to leave when Bess grabbed her arm.

"Nan," She gestured with her head through the window. "There he is—by the leader board."

Nancy followed Bess's gaze, and sure enough Stevan stood outside by the leader board looking through a small notebook with another man his age, the same place where they had first met him. "Let's go," she said, making a beeline out the door and toward their number one suspect.

"Wait Nan," Bess said, stopping her again. "What are you going to do? Just confront him? What if he isn't the one?"

"Pretty much," Nancy said forcefully, nodding. "The time for subtlety has passed. We have to find out if he has anything to do with Madison's disappearance."

Stevan noticed the girls as they approached him, and he grinned at Bess. "Hey! I never got a call," He said smoothly, winking.

"Well you shouldn't plan on getting one," Bess said, narrowing her eyes slightly. Nancy folded her arms across her chest, in full confrontation mode.

"What?" Stevan asked. He looked between them and his smug smile faded. "What's going on?" he asked nervously, eyeing Nancy warily.

"Nick Ford has been receiving threats the last couple of months telling him to drop out of the tournament. His car has been vandalized, his room ransacked, his steroid test results tampered with, and now Madison Stradtman has been kidnapped," Nancy spoke softly, but there was an edge in her voice.

"And you think I have something to do with this?" Stevan asked, his voice rising angrily.

"We know you do," Bess said.

Stevan sighed, frustrated, and looked around nervously. People had begun to stare at them and he lowered his voice. "Alright, come here," He led them to a more secluded area under a large tree about fifteen feet away.

"You better start talking," Nancy said. "Where is Madison?"

"Look, I have no idea where Madison is. I don't know anything about that. I'll admit that I messed with Nick's test results, and the car was my doing, but that's all I know," Stevan folded his arms across his broad chest as he spoke, his shaggy blonde hair blowing against his forehead in the warm breeze. "I know I shouldn't have done that crap, and I do feel bad—seriously. It was way out of line, and I know it was illegal. I'm sorry. I'll face the consequences or whatever, but I swear I have nothing to do with anything else."

Nancy looked up at him skeptically, not fully believing him. "You expect me to believe that?"

"Look, it's the truth," Stevan said, obviously struggling to keep his voice calm.

"If you didn't have anything to do with anything else, why did you write 'warning number one' on the back of Nick's car?" Bess asked, raising her perfectly plucked blonde eyebrows slightly.

"What?" Stevan asked. He looked genuinely confused. "I have no idea what you're--," he cut himself off and ran a hand through his hair as recognition dawned on his face.

"What?" Nancy asked sharply. "What do you know?"

Stevan glanced around nervously before sighing. "Alright, I'll tell you what I remember."

Nancy and Bess exchanged a quick glance, neither knowing what to expect.

"So I did what I did to Nick's car. I fled the scene, not wanting to get caught, but when I got up to my hotel room, I realized I didn't have my room key. I freaked out when I realized that, because I knew I must've dropped it outside, and that if anyone found it, they could easily pin the vandalism on me," Stevan explained softly. "So I went back outside to look for it. Luckily I found it-- I had dropped it right near his car. As I was walking back to the hotel, I turned around and saw this guy approach the car, looking at the damage. I couldn't recognize him from far away, and he was wearing all black, but I could tell it wasn't Nick. Of course, I bolted pretty quickly, not wanting to be seen, but before I did, I noticed him pull a can of spray paint out of his jacket. I didn't hang around long enough to see what he did; I guess I just figured it was some random guy finishing the job."

Nancy still looked skeptical. There was a possibility that Stevan was telling them the truth, but the chances looked pretty slim to her.

"So, what do you think, Nance?" Bess asked her, though her eyes didn't leave Stevan, who stood before them looking desperate.

"Well…" Nancy trailed off. Stevan's story _did_ seem to fit, and nothing stood out to her as obviously wrong with it, but she wasn't sure whether or not to believe him. "I don't know." She bit her bottom lip as she thought through his story.

First, Stevan's claim about dropping his card key would fit with the appointment card clue. He may not have realized he had dropped it as well, and in his haste to get away from the car when he returned for the key, hadn't noticed the dropped appointment card. Second, Nancy and Bess had been with him during the time of the attack on Joe, and if he had vandalized the car himself, she doubted he would've paid somebody else to go to Nick's room for him. And third, the handwriting on the second warning and the note they had gotten this morning didn't match the signature he had given them. It was a long shot, and a complicated one, but she had to admit that it did make sense.

"Alright," Nancy said slowly, but without letting down her guard. "Let's say that we believed you for a moment." Stevan visibly relaxed. "Do you have any idea who could be behind this?"

"No," He said sincerely, shaking his head. "You said Nick has been receiving threats?" Nancy and Bess both nodded, and Steven shrugged. "I have no clue," he said. "I mean, I understand why you would think it was me. I know Nick and I have never gotten along, and Nick dropping out would make me the leader of the tournament…" He laughed softly, but without much humor. "Maybe I _should've_ been the one threatening him!"

Nancy rolled her eyes and Bess suppressed a small giggle. "Not exactly the right thing to say, Stevan," Nancy replied.

"Seriously, though," Stevan spoke again, all humor gone once again, "I don't know."

Nancy sighed, having no choice but to believe him. However, choosing to believe him also meant that they no longer had any serious suspects for the case. They were back to square one, but this time, Madison's life was on the line.

**AN: So, on another note: THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! You have helped me get to over one hundred reviews. Literally, I'm hyperventilating. I owe each and every one of you!!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you for reviewing, adding this to your 'story alert' lists, and favoriting this story. You are just too fricken awesome for words :)!!!!!!! Hopefully, I'll be able to keep your attention and make the rest of this story worth it!!!! I really wanted to give you a really good N/F scene as a thank you, but there was just no way I could make it work in this chapter. I promise though, it WILL be in this story as your thank you present!!! **

**As always, PLEASE leave me a review to let me know your thoughts. They really help me to write faster and better!!! Hahaha, they are kind of like the fanfiction version of tips-- Not mandatory, but VEEEEEEEERY much appreciated. ;) Oh! I do accept reviews from non users, so even if you don't have a penname, feel free to leave an unsigned review. I won't be able to reply, but I definitely still enjoy and read them!!!**

**Once again, I better stop now before I start sounding **_**really**_** pathetic. I'll update by Wednesday if i can get a fair amount of reviews, OK? If not, be on the look out for the next chapter around Friday. Thanks again!!!!!! :) :) :)**

**~Emeralds and Rubies**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Here you go! Please drop me a line and let me know your thoughts! I just love hearing your theories : ) Enjoy! **

Frank and Joe sat in silence in the hotel room. Nick and Officer Royball were both making calls out in the hallway, and they were anxiously waiting their return. Nick had stepped out to officially notify the tournament organizers that he was dropping out of the tournament, though he wasn't going to tell them why. Though Frank and Joe never liked or supported giving in to the demands of criminals, Nick was adamant about dropping out, wanting to do anything possible increase their chances of getting Madison back quickly and without any harm. They doubted that whoever held her captive would release her, but they hoped the withdrawal would at least cause them to hesitate with whatever they had planned.

Frank's head snapped up as Nick reentered the room. "How did it go?" he asked, noticing the frustrated look on Nick's face.

Nick sighed and took a seat next to Joe on the couch. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, sighing. "Nothing really to report," he said, sounding hopeless. "Just let the coordinator know that I was withdrawing. He wanted to know why, but I just told him it was for personal reasons. He is going to make the announcement to the press and the rest of the players in a few minutes."

Frank just shook his head, hating the rare moments such as this where he and his brother didn't know what to do. He only hoped they could get to the bottom of this soon, before it was too late for anyone involved—especially Madison. He was about to speak, when his cell phone started vibrating from his pocket. "It's Nancy," he announced after quickly checking the caller ID. "Hello? You're on speaker," he answered, pressing the speakerphone button and looking at his brother and Nick as he spoke into the phone.

"Hey guys, any news?" Nancy asked through the phone.

"Nothing yet," Frank replied. "Officer Royball is still working on tracking Madison's cell. Apparently the station is pretty backed up. What about you guys?"

Nancy sighed. "Well, I don't know. Bess and I confronted Stevan, but I just don't know what to think."

"What did he say?" Frank asked, wondering how Nick's rival and their only real suspect took being accused of the crimes.

"He admitted to tampering with the test results and vandalizing the car," Nancy spoke quickly, sounding frustrated. "But claims he doesn't have anything to do with any of the other warnings or Madison's disappearance. She quickly explained Stevan's story about the man with the spray paint, wanting to know their opinions.

Frank, Joe, and Nick were silent as they digested the information. "Do you believe him?" Frank asked slowly.

"I don't know what to believe right now," Nancy said. "It does fit with all our information, though."

"But if it's not Stevan, who could it be?" Nick asked from his place next to Joe on the sofa. "He was your only real suspect, right?"

"Yeah, that's the problem," Nancy replied, sounding extremely frustrated. "But right now, finding Madison is more important. Once we find her, we'll know who is behind all of this."

"Yeah, but how do we go about finding her? Do we just start looking in random places? That doesn't seem very efficient," Joe said, sounding skeptical.

"It's all we can do until we can track her location," Nancy replied, though her voice let them know that she agreed with Joe.

"Then let the wild goose chase begin," Joe muttered, crossing his arms across his broad chest.

"Unfortunately, you're right. Call me if you find out anything," Nancy said. They ended the call and returned to their previous positions of silent thinking.

"I should probably call Jake again," Nick said, picking up his cell phone. "Tell him I'm dropping out. I called him earlier, but he didn't answer."

Frank looked up and met Joe's gaze, instantly realizing the same thing. Jake hadn't been heard from since yesterday afternoon, and the last time they had been with him, he had made some comments that definitely could be considered hostile towards Nick. "Nick, Jake was your caddy yesterday, right?"

Nick looked up at Frank, looking confused. "Of course. Why?"

Joe ignored Nick's question. "What time did you last see him?" he asked quickly.

"When we finished up yesterday, whatever time that was," Nick said, his voice indicating that he thought his answer would be obvious. "Wait," Nick said suddenly, his head snapping up to look at them as he realized where the brothers were going with their questions. "You think Jake is the one doing all this?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, think about it," Joe said, standing up and beginning to pace across the floor of the hotel room. "He's known about this from the beginning, right? We've never been with him at the time of a warning, and his alibis aren't exactly airtight."

"Guys, his car broke down!" Nick exclaimed.

"How do we know that for sure?" Frank asked, looking at Nick.

Nick didn't answer. "Guys, he's my best friend. What could he possibly have to gain from doing this?"

"I don't know," Frank admitted. "But you have to admit that it fits!"

"But there is no motive!" Nick exclaimed. "What even makes you think he has something to do with this? How do we know Stevan isn't making up what he said about this spray paint man?"

"We don't," Joe admitted. "But I have a feeling he isn't."

Nick sighed. "Alright, let's just see if I can get a hold of him before you two start jumping to conclusions," he said, lifting his phone back up to his ear. Not surprisingly, there was no answer and Nick shut his phone without leaving a message. Nick looked up at them seriously. "Alright. Resume jumping. I don't care anymore, as long as we find Mad."

Frank and Joe nodded, a similar plan already forming in each of their heads.

………

"So, where do you think we should look first?" Bess asked Nancy as she ended her call with Frank, Joe, and Nick. They still stood under the large tree, trying to keep their conversation from being overheard.

Nancy looked over at Stevan, who still stood with them. "Stevan, is there anywhere on the course where somebody could be held captive?"

"I don't know," Stevan said slowly, looking around their surroundings, hoping something would jog his memory. He squinted his eyes against the bright sunlight. "There is a grounds keeping shed off of the seventeenth fairway. It's kind of in the woods, but it might be somewhere to consider looking."

"That's better than nothing," Nancy said. "Here, Bess," she handed Bess her cell phone. "You stay here and wait for a call from the boys. I'll go check this place out. If I'm not back within a half hour…" she trailed off, knowing her friend understood.

"Call for back up," Bess finished. She nodded, knowing her friend was capable of taking care of herself. "Just be careful."

"I always am," Nancy smiled slightly, before taking off for the seventeenth fairway.

**AN: OK, so there it is!!! Thank you all for your wonderful reviews. I haven't been getting **_**as**_** many lately, but I'm just thankful to be getting some at all! Again, this chapter was a little slow, but I'm telling you right now, the next chapter will NOT be. I'm also sorry that it is a little bit shorter than usual. I originally had it running right into the next chapter, but I decided that it would be better to cut it here. What this means for you? The next chapter is already almost finished, so I will post it as soon as I get a few reviews : )**

**LOL, anyway I hope you liked the chapter! Please let me know your thoughts!**

**Thanks again guys! You totally rock :)**

**Emeralds and Rubies**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Alright, so here is the next chapter!!! I was going to wait another day, but felt too bad holding out on you. :) Again, a little short, but bear with me. It's as long as it needs to be. Beware of cliffy!**

"_That's better than nothing," Nancy said. "Here, Bess," she handed Bess her cell phone. "You stay here and wait for a call from the boys. I'll go check this place out. If I'm not back within a half hour…" she trailed off, knowing her friend understood._

"_Call for back up," Bess finished. She nodded, knowing her friend was capable of taking care of herself. "Just be careful."_

"_I always am," Nancy smiled slightly, before taking off for the seventeenth fairway. _Luckily, the first group of golfers had yet to make it to the seventeenth, meaning she didn't have to deal with walking all the way around the hole to avoid disrupting play. There were already quite a few people waiting for action at the hole, and many spectators in the large galleries gave her curious looks, but nobody stopped her as she cut from the cart path directly across the fairway, which was indeed lined by a small but dense forest.

She stepped in between the trees and she glanced around. There was a skinny dirt trail a few feet away from her, and following it with her eyes, she could see that it ended at a small shack; the grounds keeping hut Stevan must have been referring to. She walked swiftly down the narrow pathway, keeping her eyes peeled for any type of clue or piece of evidence.

As she neared the small shack, she could only see the fairway through a medium sized opening in the trees, and she realized just how easy it would have been for whoever was behind this to get Madison into the woods and to the shack without being seen. She glanced around again, checking once more that no one was approaching as she reached for the handle of the door. The small square shack was only about three feet taller than Nancy was, and the worn down wooden sides couldn't have been more than twenty feet long. Nancy pushed at the door to open it, but wasn't surprised to find that something was blocking her from doing so.

She crouched down to examine the door, realizing that something had been placed against it on the inside to prevent it from being opened. She was about to stand back up, when something sparkling caught the corner of her eye.

About a foot from where she was crouched, a diamond ring was catching the sunlight, resting in the dirty brown leaves next to the small path. Crawling over to it, Nancy wasn't surprised to see that she recognized it instantly. The large, nearly two carat princess cut flawlessly clear diamond was set alone in the thin platinum band, with "N and M" engraved in thin script on the inside. It was Madison's engagement ring, and Nancy knew right away that she was in the right place.

She grabbed the ring and slid it on her own ring finger quickly, not wanting to lose it as she stood up. "Hello?" She called, pounding on the old yet fairly sturdy wooden door. "Madison, are you in there?"

At first, there was only silence, and Nancy was about to call out again when she heard a muffled response. "Nancy? Oh my God, is that really you?" Nancy heard Madison's scared muffled voice reply from inside the shed.

"Yes! I'm here," Nancy said. "Can you see the door?"

The was a sound of readjusting for a moment before Madison replied, "Yeah. There's a lawn mower jammed up against it, but it isn't locked. You might be able to ram it open."

Nancy swore softly under her breath, not knowing if she was going to be able to get the door open, but knowing she had to try. "Alright, let me try," She said, hurriedly. She stepped back a couple feet, glancing around again, before charging the door. To her amazement, she was able to get it open wide enough to squeeze through into the small shack.

"Oh God, you have no idea how glad I am to see you," Madison exclaimed. She sat in a corner of the cluttered, poorly lit shack, tied to a small wooden chair. A scarf hung loosely around her neck, and Nancy assumed that at one point it had been around her mouth to prevent her from making noise.

"I could say the same thing," Nancy said, hurrying over to where Madison was tied up to begin working on her bonds. "What happened?"

"I don't really know," Madison spoke quietly as Nancy worked at the rope tying her hands behind her back. "I was just about to leave my hotel room when I heard the door open. I figured it was Nick, because I was running a bit late. I turned and there was a man standing there, dressed completely in black. His face was covered, and I couldn't recognize him. I tried to scream, but he grabbed me and tied the scarf around my mouth. I tried to fight him, but obviously it didn't work very well. He took me down the back stairwell of the hotel. It was only like seven, so no one saw us. As he was throwing me into his car, he pressed something damp over my face and everything went black. When I woke up, we were in the woods."

"It was probably chloroform," Nancy said, as she continued to struggle with Madison's bonds.

"I couldn't make any noise, but I dropped my engagement ring, hoping someone would see it and realize it was mine. I knew the chances were slim, but it was all I could do without the guy seeing as he tried to get me into this place," Madison said, looking embarrassed.

"Well it worked," Nancy said. "You did great. I saw the ring on the path and knew it was yours," Nancy said, briefly showing her hand to Madison, showing her the ring.

"Oh, thank God," Madison said, looking relieved.

"Do you have you purse?" Nancy asked Madison, still not making any progress on the knots.

"Yeah, it's in the corner," Madison said, gesturing with her head.

"Good," Nancy said. She leaned over to grab the purse, hoping to find something in it that would help her with the knots when Madison shouted.

"Nancy, look out!" Madison exclaimed. Nancy's head shot up instantly and she noticed a large figure standing in the doorway before something hit her over the head, and everything around her went black.

**AN: CLIFFY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I warned you guys!!! So… I don't really have much to say this time. Weird, right??? LOL. Oh—I did put a link to Madison's ring on my profile page, just for fun. :) Go check it out!!!! ** **It's pretty simple, but gorgeous. : ) **

**And, as always, --at the risk of sounding like the desperate fanfiction writer I am : ) -- please drop me a line to tell me your thoughts! Thanks again!**

**Emeralds and Rubies**


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: Hey! I know you guys just want to read, so I'll catch up with ya'll at the bottom. Thanks! Enjoy!**

Bess sat nervously on a bench near the scoreboard outside of the clubhouse. It had been twenty minutes since Nancy had gone to search the old grounds keeping shed off of the seventeenth fairway, and she had yet to return. She glanced down at her watch again, frustrated to see that it had been less than a minute since the last time she checked. She had known as soon as her friend had suggested it that it was a bad idea for her to go investigate on her own, but also knew she would be of little help if she were to go with her, so she had let Nancy go without protest. As much as she had gotten used to and improved at some of the other areas of Nancy's detective work, she still was not totally comfortable entering a situation that could very well become hostile.

She ran a hand through her long blonde hair nervously. Nine more minutes before she would call for backup.

Bess drummed her fingers on the fabric of her hot pink golf skirt, trying not to let herself get too worked up. She knew that getting panicked would neither help Nancy get back faster, or help her were there to be a crisis. She looked up when someone sat down beside her.

"I take it she isn't back yet," Stevan said to her quietly, noticing her nervous tapping against her leg.

"Nope," Bess sighed. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and dropping her head into her hands. "Aren't you supposed to be teeing off right now?" She mumbled quietly.

"I have a few minutes," Stevan replied. "They're running a bit behind today, so my tee time got pushed back fifteen minutes."

"Oh," Bess said, not knowing how else to respond. She glanced at her watch yet again – eight minutes.

"Do you think we should have gone with her?" Stevan asked.

Bess scoffed. "Yes," she said simply. "But here is nothing we can do about it now. If she's not back in—" she checked her wrist for what felt like the thousandth time—"Seven minutes, we will call Frank and Joe and the cops."

She could see Stevan nod out of the corner of her eye. "Alright," he sighed. "I'm sorry I can't be much more of a help," he said, standing up once again.

"Oh, don't worry about it," Bess sighed. "You've been great. How did you know about that grounds keeping shed anyway?"

Stevan laughed softly, despite the seriousness of the situation. "I've driven into those woods many more times than I should have."

Bess chuckled. "That would explain it," she rolled her eyes, cracking a small smile.

"I better go," Stevan said. "I hope Nancy gets back safely," he said.

"Thanks," Bess said, watching him as he walked away towards the first tee where his caddy was waiting. "Me too," she whispered. "Me too."

Seven more minutes.

……….

Frank, Joe, and Nick screeched to a stop in the parking lot of the golf course. They had all gotten restless while waiting for officer Royball to get through to the station, and figured their time would be more efficiently spent helping Nancy look for Madison at the course. The three men jumped out of the car as soon as Frank cut the engine, locking it quickly behind them with a beep from the horn.

They were jogging over to the clubhouse from their far parking spot when Nick stopped abruptly, nearly causing Joe to run into him.

"What's up, Man?" Joe asked, his brow furrowed.

Nick stared toward the side of the clubhouse, his face void of any emotion. "I think…" he trailed off before taking off in a run toward whatever he had seen, Frank and Joe following close behind.

"Dude, what's going on?" Joe asked as they ran.

Nick stopped in front of a large, dark green dumpster that had an old, slightly beat up, red Chevy Cavalier parked behind it, almost out of view. "That's Jake's car," Nick said quietly, looking over at Frank and Joe, anger at his best friend clearly visible in his gaze.

" Are you sure?" Frank asked as he and Joe quickly approached the old Chevy.

"Yeah, that's his," Nick nodded, his eyes not leaving the car as the Hardys quickly began examining it for any kind of evidence. "That dent in the front bumper is from me. A couple years back we had an accident with a golf cart…"

Joe chuckled softly, making a mental note to ask for the full story later.

Frank and Joe quickly searched outside and around the car, not finding anything. "Alright, I didn't want to have to do this, but…" Frank trailed off, pulling out his wallet from his pocket. He pulled out a small metal tool and squatted down by the driver's door, going to work on the lock.

"Are you guys sure about this?" Nick asked, glancing around nervously as Frank continued to pick the lock. "What if we get caught?"

"The police will get over our minor crime if we can find something incriminating against Jake," Joe replied.

"Are you sure?" Nick asked, still clearly worried. "What about the ends not justifying the means and all of that stuff?"

Joe just laughed. "Trust me, it'll be fine. You want to find Mad, don't you?" Joe asked, using Nick's nickname for his fiancé.

That question immediately silenced any of Nick's worries, and if he was still hesitant, he definitely didn't show it.

"Got it," Frank said after there was a loud clicking noise from the chrome door handle. He pulled open the driver's door and swiftly unlocked the rest of the doors with a quick push of a button. He and Joe began to comb through the inside of the car for any evidence. After only a couple a seconds, Joe let out a shout of victory from where he was searching in the back seat.

"Aha!" he exclaimed, sitting up and grabbing a tissue from the side of the door before reaching back down under the seat to pick up whatever piece of evidence that had cause him to become excited.

"What did you find?" Frank asked, glancing in the rearview mirror at his younger brother without stopping his own search through the junk filled glove compartment. Nick stood right outside the door, looking at Joe with a questioning gaze.

"Something that totally incriminates your so called best friend," Joe said to Nick.

Frank turned around to look at his brother, seeing him grin excitedly as he lifted his treasure, shaking it mid air.

A can of red spray paint.

Nick gasped as he realized what it was. "I just don't understand," he mumbled as Frank took the can by the tissue from his brother. "Why would he do this?"

"I have no clue," Frank said. He shook the can slightly, as his brother had done. "And it's nearly empty, too. Definitely evidence."

Nick didn't respond with words; just continued to shake his head in disbelief.

"We still have to check for prints," Frank said slowly, knowing the case still couldn't officially be called closed just yet. "It could have been planted here to match Stevan's story and frame Jake."

"I kinda doubt it, though," Joe said.

"I don't!" Nick said, still not wanting to believe his best friend would betray him in this way. "We still don't have a motive of any kind. There can't be a crime without a motive!"

"He's right, Joe," Frank nodded.

"We'll see," Joe replied, dropping the subject for the time being, knowing he wouldn't be able to convince either his brother or Nick until they had dusted the can for finger prints and found matches to Jake. "Let's go talk to Nancy – maybe she found something."

The three men exited and locked up the car, the only evidence of their quick but thorough search being the spray paint can that now rested in Joe's back pocket instead of under the back seat. They walked briskly to and through the crowded clubhouse, and were surprised to find Bess sitting alone on a bench near the leader board, her head resting in her hands in obvious distress.

"Bess?" Frank called as they approached her.

Bess's head snapped up and a look of relief of instantly washed over her face when she saw them. "Oh gosh, am I glad to see you three. I was just about to call you."

Frank instantly stood up straighter, having noticed right away that Nancy was nowhere to be seen. "What's wrong? Where is Nancy?"

Bess grimaced, and a slightly sheepish look replaced the one of relief on her face. "She left to investigate an old grounds keeping shed off of the seventeenth fairway about a half hour ago and I haven't heard from her since."

Frank froze, millions of thoughts running through his head; the most dominant one being along the lines of '_Oh God, no!'. _Before he knew it, and without waiting for more information or to make sure his brother was following him, he took off in a sprint towards the seventeenth fairway.

**AN: Hey guys! Sorry about the longer than usual wait!!! Please don't hate me for not going back to Nancy in this chapter. I **_**really**_** wanted to, but this just flowed much better. I promise we will get back to her in the next chap! I wanted to have this up by Sunday, but I was lazy and went golfing instead. Hey, everyone needs inspiration, right??? :) Oh! BTW, I got a hole in one!!!!!! AND I have witnesses ;)!!!!!!! So exciting!!!! LOL, anyway, I'm going to try to have the next chapter up by Friday at the latest, because I would hate to lose any readers from my lack of updating. **

**As always, feed my addiction and review please!!!!!**

**Thanks!**

**Emeralds and Rubies**


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: Hey guys! Sorry I'm a couple days late. However, this chapter is EXTRA long (like, three times longer than most of my chapters) so I hope it make up for the wait. Please leave me a review!!!!! Oh yeah, and check out my website to see the banner that was made for this story! The link is in my profile.**

Nancy's head pounded as she slowly drifted back into consciousness. Not knowing if her attacker remained nearby, she took in as much of her surroundings as she could without opening her eyes.

She could feel cool concrete floor beneath her right cheek, and her hands were tied tightly with something surprisingly smooth behind her back. Her feet were also bound, though not quite as tightly as her hands. She was glad to hear the muffled sounds of a forest surrounding her and loud cheering in the distance, letting her know that she was indeed still inside the shed, and had not been taken somewhere else while she was unconscious.

Steeling herself, she risked opening her eyes quickly. Her observations were confirmed when she did. She was still in the grounds keeping shed, tied up and laying on her right side, facing the wall opposite the door.

"Oh, good Nancy you're OK," Madison's relieved voice came from behind her.

"Yeah, how long was I out?" Nancy asked as she readjusted so that she was sitting up and facing Madison, who remained tied to the chair. The tie no longer hung around her neck, and Nancy realized that the tie must be what was now tied around her own wrists, explaining the smoothness of her restraints.

"Only a few minutes," Madison replied, worry still in her eyes as she glanced around quickly.

"Where did he go?" Nancy asked as she began trying to escape the bonds around her wrists.

"I don't know," Madison said, her eyes glistening with fearful tears. "God, Nancy he was so angry when he saw you. After her knocked you out…" Madison shuddered and allowed a single tear to run down her cheek.

That was when Nancy noticed the bruise that was beginning to form around Madison's left eye, and she truly felt sorry for the girl. If she hadn't gotten caught, Madison may not have gotten hurt. "I'm so sorry," Nancy said, not able to suppress her own shudder as she pictured the graphic scene in her mind. "Are you OK?"

Madison laughed without humor. "I guess I am. I've definitely been better." She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before opening them once again. "Any progress you had made on these knots was lost, though. He tightened them again after knocking you out before leaving."

"That's OK," Nancy said, just as she was able to slip out of her restraints. She quickly undid the rope tied around her feet and crawled over to quickly begin work once again on Madison's bonds. "Do you have any idea yet who it was?"

"No," Madison whispered. "I really don't know. My mind was kind of elsewhere. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry," Nancy said, as she studied the knots tying Madison's hands closely. "I'm sure backup will come soon," she replied. She began to see a pattern in the ropes and made quick work of the knots, freeing Madison's hands after a couple more minutes. "Alright," Nancy whispered, sliding the ropes off of Madison's hands. Just as they were about to go to work on Madison's feet, the door opened behind them and there was a loud click of a gun being loaded.

"Nice try ladies," The man who had attacked Nancy earlier said, his deep voice slightly muffled by the ski mask. A shiny silver pistol was in his left hand, lifted up and pointed at the girls. "Tsk, tsk, tsk," he said slowly, realizing that had he returned any later, both girls would be free. His voice was familiar to Nancy, but she couldn't place where she had heard it before.

He walked towards the girls slowly; silver pistol still trained on them, and quickly retied their bonds. Though she was more than skilled at martial arts, Nancy knew she was in no position to fight back at the moment, with both her and Madison's lives on the line. Their captor was deadly calm as he stood back up and began pacing back and forth slowly in front of them.

"Now, what should I do with you two?" he began speaking slowly but with purpous, and Nancy was yet again struck by the familiarity of his voice. Where had she heard it before? She racked her brain for the answer, but was still unable to place it. "I doubt the others are far behind, now that Nancy here has decided to drop in to save the day," The man clasped his hands behind his back; another gesture that seemed familiar for whatever reason.

Nancy looked at Madison, asking a silent question with her eyes. _Who was this?_

Madison shrugged, understanding what Nancy was asking, but looking scared and confused at the same time.

Nancy looked back over at the pacing man, continuing to study his body language as he mumbled to himself while she worked once again to free her hands. There was nothing about him that was necessarily significant, but she knew she had seen him before. As he paced, he had his hands behind his back, with his right hand clasped around his left wrist. She didn't know why, but for some reason, she knew this was significant.

She studied his posture closely. _Who did she know that held their hands that way? _Finally, it clicked. _Bess._ Bess had held her hands that way out of habit ever since high school when she was forced to stand that way in between cheers at a football game. When she was a _cheerleader._

Nancy's jaw dropped as she finally realized just who this man was. She didn't want to believe it, but the more she thought it through, the more it all seemed to fit.

"Why did you do this, Jake?" Nancy asked softly.

The man --Jake—froze, his mumblings falling silent before he turned to face Nancy. "So, you figured it out, huh? You really are as good of a detective as they claim you are." He pulled off the ski mask, no longer having a need for it.

Beside her, Madison gasped as the identity of their captor and attacker was revealed. Tears began to fall silently down her cheeks. "Jake?" She whispered disbelievingly, her blue eyes wide with shock.

"Yes," Jake replied, grinning wickedly.

"But why?" Madison asked desperately, her voice rising. "Nick is your best friend! He has helped you through so much! You've known each other for years! How could you?"

"Ha!" Jake laughed bitterly, slowly walking towards Madison. "No. I may be Nick's best friend, but he is definitely not mine. Helped me, you say? No. Never. All he has ever done is make my life terrible. My parents always loved Nick. He was perfect in their eyes…always wanted me to be more like him. Even after their divorce and everything that happened with my dad, he remained their standard. I was never good enough. _I _couldn't get straight A's _and_ be a star athlete. _I_ didn't have all of the girls in the student body throwing themselves at me. Nick didn't even have to _try._"

Nancy was shocked as she listened to Jake, still working to get her hands free. _He's done all of this because of jealousy from a high school grudge?_

"Then we graduated high school and I thought I was finally free of him. I worked my butt off and managed to get into Stanford, figuring he would never come here. Ha! I should've known. He couldn't just let me go to a better school and allow me to have my time of glory. So he comes here, despite a late application. What school wouldn't want a star athlete with straight A's?" Jake laughed, sending a shiver down Nancy's spine.

"Once we got here and school started, things got a little better. And that's when you came along," Jake spat at Madison, whose eyes widened.

"Me?" She asked, looking desperately confused. "What did I do?"

"_You_ didn't do anything. You were perfect. Beautiful, smart, funny, an athlete, clever, kind, caring…" Jake shook his head and trailed off. Nancy was shocked to see the lust lidding his eyes. This guy was more messed up that she thought.

However, it made sense. His whole life, he had been jealous of Nick –however unjustifiable – and then even the girl he fell for wanted Nick over him. That could definitely put someone who was already unstable over the edge. She finally managed to free her hands, and quickly undid the bonds around her feet -- once again -- while Madison had Jake's complete attention.

Jake was shouting now, blaming Madison for his problems and telling her that Nick didn't deserve her as he raised his pistol to Madison's forehead—and he was so distracted, he didn't notice Nancy standing up from her place on the floor silently.

"Please! Don't!" Madison screamed, begging as tears ran freely down her already tear stained cheeks from her now black and swollen eye.

"It's too late!" Jake exclaimed. "You had your chances! I can't wait until Nick finds you here. This is exactly what he deserves. He's—"

Nancy sent a powerful roundhouse kick to Jakes outstretched left hand, sending the pistol crashing to the floor and making it go off from the impact. Madison let out a scream as the gun shot her in the leg, but Nancy was just happy she was alive.

"What the hell?" Jake exclaimed. He whirled around to face Nancy, eyes wide and ready to fight. But Nancy still had the element of surprise on her side, and his reflexes weren't quick enough for him to block her second kick, one that went straight to the side of his head.

Nancy sighed in relief as Jake slumped to the hard concrete ground with a thud, knocked out cold. She dropped to her knees in both relief an exhaustion as the adrenaline left her system and the door crashed open behind her.

She turned around to see three police officers plow through the door to the weak shed, guns already drawn and shouting "Freeze!" all together. If she hadn't been so tired, she would've laughed at the picture-perfect way they entered the room, even if it was a bit late for her liking.

"Oh, thank God!" Madison exclaimed from behind her as Frank and Joe also burst into the shack, obviously having broken away from whoever had presumably told them to wait outside.

Nancy couldn't agree more.

……….

After an hour of giving statements to the police, talking to reporters, and being checked out by the medical team at the tournament, Nancy, Bess, Frank, Joe, Nick, and Madison sat around the table in the Hardy's room once again—but for the first time without the case hanging over their heads. They had decided it would be better to come back to the room to eat and talk to avoid unwanted attention as soon as Nancy and Madison had been cleared to leave by the medical team.

Madison had been very lucky when the pistol had gone off and only grazed the inside of her calf. Though she had needed stitches, the damage was minimal and after a few weeks all she will have as a reminder of the horrible day was a small scar.

Frank, Joe, Bess, and Nick had explained to Nancy and Madison their findings in Jake's car, which was more than enough evidence against him, along with Nancy and Madison's statements, for the police to take him in.

"I still just can't believe it," Nick said softly after swallowing a bite of his steak.

Madison rubbed his back up and down softly, trying to comfort her fiancé. He had been blaming himself ever since finding out the whole story, despite them telling him it wasn't his fault. "Nick, we've been over this," she said softly. "You could never have known he was so unstable. He hid it really well. And trust me, you never did anything to justify his jealousy."

Nick sighed. "I know. I'm sorry. I just feel so bad that you were put in danger," Nick said, looking up into Madison's eyes.

She smiled warmly at him and leaned her head on his shoulder, readjusting the ice pack she had pressed against her black eye. "And that is exactly why everything Jake said today is not true. Besides," she rolled her eyes, "I guess I just have bad luck with guys named Jake," she laughed.

Bess let out a soft squeal, causing the heartwarming moment to be broken. "I'm sorry," she apologized quickly when everyone turned to her. "You two are just so cute! You deserve to be so happy."

The group laughed at Bess's hopeless romanticism.

"Thanks Bess," Madison grinned. She exchanged a quick look with Nick and her smile broadened. "We expect you all to be at the wedding, you know."

"Really?" Bess asked.

Madison laughed. "Of course! You guys have been awesome and it would mean so much to us if you would come."

After talking for a while longer, Madison and Nick left, after thanking them once again and promising to keep in touch—wanting Nancy and Bess to be bridesmaids and Frank and Joe to be groomsmen in the wedding. After they left, Bess got a phone call from George and began filling her in on the past week while Joe went to watch Sports Center. Nancy was just about to tell Bess they should get going when Frank caught her attention.

"You want to go for a walk?" he asked softly.

Nancy smiled and nodded. "Sure," she said. They stood up and excused themselves from the room walking up to the roof or the hotel where there was a small garden and sitting area. They were silent as they stood, leaning against the ledge as they watched the sun set over the golf course when Frank finally spoke.

"You really scared me today, Nan," He spoke quietly, his voice full of concern. "Especially after the gunshot went off… I thought the worst."

Before Frank had been able to make it to the seventeenth hole, his brother had managed to stop him and convince him they needed to wait for the police, who were only minutes away. Right after the police had arrived, they heard the gunshot and Frank had felt his stomach drop to his feet, instantly fearing, as he had said, the worst. Joe was only able to hold him back for about a minute before they both stormed in after the police—both wanting to know what had happened.

Nancy looked over at him to see that he was looking right at her, his expression nothing but sincere. "I'm sorry," she apologized softly, blushing slightly and looking down at her clasped hands.

"Don't apologize," he said, reaching out hesitantly taking her hand in his, causing her to look up to meet his gaze once again. "Nan, you being a detective is part of what makes me love you so much."

Her eyes widened as she realized what he had just said. "Really?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper as he leaned closer to her.

His lips were only about an inch away from hers as he whispered "Yes," his warm minty breath on her skin, making her shiver slightly. Her eyes fluttered closed and she felt his warm, soft lips press against her own; the only thought running through her head being '_finally_.'

Frank deepened the kiss and slid his arms around her slender waist, as she buried her hands into his soft dark brown hair, and suddenly nothing else in the world mattered. Not the many times they had been interrupted or either of their exes or a case that needed to be solved. They were finally able to just be with each other without any form of guilt in the back of their minds.

Nancy had never believed in the clichés of a toe-curling or mind-blowing kiss, but as she responded to Frank eagerly, she knew just how wrong she had been. Fireworks seemed to flash behind her eyes and her mouth tingled where Frank's lips touched her own. She sighed contentedly when he finally pulled away. Frank kept his arms around her and she leaned her head on his shoulder in a tight hug. "I love you, too, Frank," She whispered.

She could feel him grinning, which caused a smile of her own to blossom across her face. "I'm glad, because after a kiss like that…" Frank trailed off dryly and Nancy pulled away, laughing.

"Thanks, Hardy," she rolled her eyes. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should," Frank smiled but then became serious once again. "You know, Nan, Joe and I have been talking."

"Yeah?" Nancy asked softly as she leaned into him once again.

"We've been thinking about opening up an agency, but we would really like another partner…" He said softly, sounding nervously.

Nancy pulled away slightly so she could look him in the eye. "Frank Hardy, are you asking me to partner with you guys?" she asked, her eyes wide.

"Well, you don't have to or anything, but we would love it if you did. And if you really didn't want to move to New York, Joe and I could come to Chicago or--," Nancy cut him off with another kiss.

When she pulled away, there was a large smile on her face once again. "Yes! Of course! You shouldn't even have to ask to know my answer!"

"Really?" Frank asked excitedly.

"Of course!" She exclaimed. Her smile faded and she became serious once again. "I really wasn't looking forward to leaving you guys again."

He tucked a stray strand of her strawberry blonde hair behind her ear and kissed her sweetly. "Neither was I."

THE END

**AN: Alright, so there it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you all soooooooooo much for reading this. This has been such an amazing journey, and am so thankful to all of you – especially those who have been with me since the beginning. You guys have truly inspired me and helped to make this story better than I ever thought it could be. **

**Hopefully, this chapter didn't disappoint! Please leave me a review and let me know what you thought! There probably won't be an epilogue to this one, but if it is begging to be written, I –of course—will write it. :) **

**Thank you all (for the millionth time)!!!**

**Emeralds and Rubies**

**AN2 (5/24): OK, so I've gotten a couple complaints about the way I wrote this chapter. Look, I'm sorry if you were expecting Frank to come save the day, but that was _never_ my intention--even after last chapter's cliffy. Maybe it was my fault-- maybe the end of the last chapter was poorly written--and if that is the case, I apologize. In the end of the last chapter, I just did that to show a little of Frank's reaction and feelings about Nancy being MIA. I DID NOT simply change my mind and 'blow off' the cliffy. I apologize if you don't like the way I wrote this, but do not regret writing it this way. This is the way it needed to be written, and it is my story, and I felt best about writing it this way. As a fan of Nancy's strong character and personality, I just could not let her become the damsel in distress. That is not the way Nancy works. She doesn't wait for someone to come and rescue her--she takes matters into her own hands if need be. I hope I haven't betrayed your trust. ~E and R**


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